Tim Cook: The man who turned Apple into the world’s first trillion-dollar company. There’s more to him than meets the eye, and while he may not’ve been the genius who invented Apple, he is the man who transformed the company into what it is today. Steve Jobs made Cook Apple’s CEO during a crucial moment in its history. The transition away from Jobs was seen as a huge risk. Since Apple began its historic downward spiral after Jobs left the company in 1985.

But Cook accepted the challenge in 2011 with a soft-spoken modesty that he’s become known for. And while his tenure as CEO hasn’t been without challenges, his leadership took Apple to places that no one ever expected. But perhaps the person most surprised was Cook himself. Who had humble beginnings not in the heart of silicon valley or San Francisco, but a small town called Mobile, Alabama.