Apple will hold its annual shareholder meeting on February 24 at 11 a.m. Eastern Time, which is when participants will be able to vote and ask questions.
Annual shareholder meetings are held to vote on matters presented by shareholders and to discuss how future goals are being met. During these meetings, the company's performance during the previous year is also discussed.
As part of Apple's meeting on February 24, participants will vote on the election of its Board of Directors and will ratify the appointment of Apple's independent registered public accounting firm for 2026. Participants will also vote on Apple's Non-Employee Director Stock Plan, executive compensation, and a shareholder proposal related to Apple's manufacturing efforts in China.
The 2026 shareholder meeting was announced by Apple in an SEC filing on January 8. In the filing, Apple CEO Tim Cook shared a letter to shareholders, highlighting the iPhone maker's accomplishments and overall success in 2025, such as the launch of the AirPods Pro 3, the iPhone 17 range, and the upgraded M5 Apple Vision Pro.
"Our latest iPhone lineup features the most powerful iPhone we've ever made with iPhone 17 Pro, and the thinnest iPhone we've ever made with iPhone Air," said Cook. "As always, we've continued to build our values into everything we do — from our commitment to protecting people's privacy and security, to designing our products to be accessible to all."
Apple's announcement document also lists Tim Cook's 2025 target compensation, which totals about $74 million. The majority of it is in stock options, with a relatively much smaller annual cash payout.
According to a July 2025 rumor, Tim Cook may, at some point, become Chairman of Apple's Board of Directors. This is expected to happen following his inevitable retirement, with hardware chief Jon Ternus being a potential successor in the role of Apple's CEO.
Thursday's SEC filing primarily serves as a proxy statement, highlighting Apple's various achievements and accomplishments throughout 2025. As such, the information is hardly surprising for those who pay attention to the company's financial sector. The shareholder meetings themselves are rarely of interest to the general public, either.
However, one shareholder proposal stands out, as it contains concerns about Apple's international operations.
Conservative think tank questions Apple's manufacturing in China
During Apple's 2026 shareholder meeting, participants will vote on a proposal that comes from a self-described conservative think tank. Specifically, the National Center for Public Policy Research aims to submit a proposal regarding Apple's endeavors in China.
Shareholders affiliated with a conservative think tank aim to question Apple's operations in China.
Shareholders affiliated with the organization will ask Apple's Board of Directors to conduct an evaluation "assessing risks and costs associated with the company's continued entanglement with the People's Republic of China."
The China-related proposal cites concerns of potential tariff increases, and claims that "China's control over rare earth minerals" could let the country "weaponize shortages." It is also argued that Apple was "the target of Chinese Espionage actions" in 2018 and 2019 related to the Apple Car Project.
Apple's Board of Directors recommends that shareholders vote against this proposal, stating that "the requested report is unnecessary given we already provide extensive information on our international operations." The proposal was also deemed "highly prescriptive," as it "attempts to inappropriately restrict Apple's ability to manage its own ordinary business operations and business strategies."
Though there will always be questions regarding Apple's operations in China, the iPhone maker's 2025 revenue results leave no room for doubt about the company's overall success.
According to Apple's SEC filing, the company has reached an all-time revenue record of $416.2 billion for the fiscal year 2025. Services growth is up 14% year-over-year. The company has also experienced significant success in many emerging markets, including India, Latin America, and the Middle East.
