Apple will celebrate its 50th anniversary on April 1, 2026. CEO Tim Cook today issued an open letter titled "50 Years of Thinking Different", reviewing Apple's half-century of exploration in the field of personal technology and expressing his gratitude to users, developers and Apple employees around the world.

The following is the full text of the letter:

Fifty years ago, an idea born in a small garage changed the direction of the world. Apple was founded on a seemingly simple but at the time highly disruptive idea: technology should be "personal." This belief changed everything.

On April 1, Apple will celebrate its 50th anniversary. From the first Apple computer, to Mac, from iPod to iPhone, from iPad to Apple Watch and AirPods, to the various services we use every day - App Store, Apple Music, Apple Pay, iCloud and Apple TV - over the past fifty years, we have been constantly rethinking the boundaries of "possibility" and putting powerful tools into everyone's hands. Behind every breakthrough, there is an idea that has never changed guiding us: those who move the world forward are those who "think differently."

Progress always begins with someone: an inventor or scientist, a student or narrator, who imagines a better way, a new idea, a different path. This spirit has been deeply embedded in the company's DNA since Apple's founding, but it has never been just ours.

Every invention we bring into the world is just the beginning of a story. The truly important chapters are written by you—by everyone who uses our technology to work, learn, dream, and explore. You use these tools to make breakthroughs and build companies; you use them to comfort loved ones in the hospital and capture your children’s first steps; you use them to run marathons, write books, and rekindle friendships; you follow your curiosity, find new passions, discover that new song that’s unforgettable the first time you hear it, and tell the stories that connect us all.

In your hands, the tools we build improve lives and sometimes even save them. This is the real driving force that motivates us to move forward - not what the technology itself can do, but what you can do with it when the technology is put into your hands.

At Apple, we’re more focused on building tomorrow than looking back on yesterday. But in front of this important milestone, we can’t help but express our gratitude to everyone who makes Apple what it is today—the incredible Apple teams around the world, our developer community, and every user who has been along for the journey. Your creativity inspires our work, your trust drives us to strive for excellence, and your stories remind us time and again of the future we can achieve together when we choose to "think differently."

If you've taught us anything over the years, it's that people who are "crazy enough to think they can change the world" often do.

So, respect these "madmen".

These misfits.

These rebels.

These troublemakers.

These are round pegs that fit into square holes.

These people who see the world differently.

Here’s to you.