Apple Executive Chairman Tim Cook Says AI Expands App Ecosystem Opportunities

Tim Cook, executive chairman of Apple's board, attended the first cohort showcase of the Apple App Incubator in Beijing on Oct. 12, where he met startup teams and discussed app development and overseas market expansion.

Apps shown at the event covered scenarios including shopping, study tutoring, meeting notes and accessibility support. The AI shopping assistant Viba received the 2026 "Acceleration Pioneer Award." In his remarks, Cook said the creativity he saw focused on real-world issues from accessibility to education, and that Apple hopes to help these developers refine their products through technical guidance and business support.

Sitting down with reporters, Cook described AI as a new opportunity for app ecosystem growth. He said "vibe coding" is lowering development barriers, making it easier for people with good ideas to create their own apps and attracting more people to the developer community. He emphasized that Apple's support covers development, operation and distribution: developers can use Apple's tools to build apps, run AI features on Apple silicon, and reach global users through the App Store.

An Apple study released Oct. 8 showed that Chinese developers' overseas revenue accounted for 52% of their total in 2025, up 20 percentage points from 32% in 2020, and 76% of Chinese developers conduct business overseas. The app incubator is a new Apple program supporting startups. After Apple donated 30 million yuan to Zhejiang University in March 2025 to set up an incubation fund, the incubator launched in early 2026 to provide technical and business training to developers, designers and entrepreneurs.