Tim Cook says he “graduated to flipping burgers” after tossing newspapers

A recent business profile highlighting the modest beginnings of prominent executives included Apple CEO Tim Cook’s recollection of his teenage work history. Cook grew up in Robertsdale, Alabama, first tossing newspapers and then, around age 14, taking a fast-food cooking and ice-cream-serving job at a local stand, where classmates teased him while he earned $1.10 an hour. The anecdote appears alongside similar accounts from other corporate leaders, such as Apollo CEO Marc Rowan and Lowe’s CEO Marvin Ellison, illustrating that many billionaires once held hourly service jobs before achieving wealth and prominence. Cook later completed an MBA at Duke and now leads Apple, with an estimated net worth of $3 billion.