When he came out as a gay man, Apple CEO Tim Cook became the most visible LGBT people in the corporate world.
Cook took over from the late Steve Jobs in 2011 and, three years later, shared his story in a 2011 editorial in Bloomberg Businessweek. “I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me,” he wrote.
But Cook’s sexuality was something of an open secret before then—and he was vocal in his support for marriage equality and ENDA, so why did he wait to share his truth?
“Honestly, I value my privacy,” he told Charlie Rose on 60 Minutes last night. I’m a very private person.”
But, Cook says, he realized the issue was bigger than just himself.
“[If] some kid somewhere, some kid in Alabama, just for a moment stops and say ’if it didn’t limit him, it may not limit me.’ Or, this kid that’s getting bullied or worse… I’ve gotten notes from people contemplating suicide. And so if I could touch just one of those, it’s worth it.”
He added, “I couldn’t look myself in the mirror without doing it.”
Watch Cook’s 60 Minutes interview below.