Tim Cook may have given up on acquiring Tesla, but there is an interesting list of smaller companies that the current CEO has acquired during his tenure.

Let's take a look at the merger and acquisition history together and revisit some of the most significant company acquisitions under Tim Cook's leadership.

During Tim Cook's era, Apple acquired various companies for product features

When John Ternus became Apple's CEO on September 1, it will take years for the new CEO to match Cook's M&A (merger and acquisition) record.

Many of Apple's best acquisitions are enhancing the current hardware and software features and services.

In July 2012, Apple acquired the U.S. company AuthenTec before launching Touch ID with the iPhone 5s in September 2013.

The following year, Apple acquired the Israeli startup PrimeSense, which developed the Face ID technology that came with the iPhone X in 2017.

Cook's boldest acquisition occurred on August 1, 2014, when Apple acquired Beats Electronics. Apple continues to develop and sell new headphones and speakers under the Beats brand, and Beats Music became the foundation of Apple Music.

In March 2017, Apple acquired the automation and scripting app Workflow for iPhone and iPad. The team later launched Shortcuts, which also integrates with Mac and Apple Home.

In 2017, Apple acquired Beddit, a company offering a sleep tracking product that works with the iPhone. Sleep tracking is now a part of the Apple Watch.

In 2018, Apple acquired the subscription magazine service Texture, which later transformed into Apple News+. In the same year, it also acquired the song tagging service Shazam, which is still in use today.

Cook's Apple purchased Intel's smartphone modem business for $1 billion in July 2019 and launched the first Apple cellular modem, C1, inside the iPhone 16 last year.

Now many iPhone and iPad models include the C1 or C1X modem, and more iPhones are expected to drop Qualcomm chips this fall.

Apple acquired Dark Sky in March 2020, which now powers precipitation alerts in Apple Weather and WeatherKit.

A few weeks later, the company acquired NextVR, which focuses on virtual reality events, including live sports. This year, Apple Vision Pro presented selected LA Lakers NBA games in an impressive format.

In August 2021, Apple acquired the classical music streaming service Primephonic, which became Apple Music Classical in 2023.

By the end of 2024, Apple acquired Pixelmator, which became part of Apple Creator Studio in 2026.

Last year, Tim Cook's Apple acquired the two-person game studio RAC7, behind the Apple Arcade title Sneaky Sasquatch. In the content space, Apple also acquired the rights to the Severance series for Apple TV.

Among the latest Apple acquisitions during Cook's tenure is Q.ai; this acquisition will likely enhance Siri and Apple Intelligence, and MotionVFX, which produces content for Final Cut Pro, is now part of Apple Creator Studio.

9to5Mac's Opinion

These are just a few of the most interesting 16 mergers and acquisitions made by Apple under Tim Cook's leadership as CEO.

Beats Electronics will always be Tim Cook's signature acquisition for Apple in my opinion.

The $3 billion price tag, bringing Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine on board, and launching Apple Music early in Cook's tenure are significant points.

I am most curious about what Q.ai will do for Apple in the future, and the $2 billion price tag is not insignificant.

Which Apple M&A deals during Tim Cook's era are your favorites? Which companies should John Ternus add to the shopping list after taking over from Cook? Share your thoughts with us.