Apple’s annual shareholder meeting is set for February 24 at 11 a.m. Eastern time. At that time, participants can vote and ask questions.
At annual shareholder meetings, participants vote on issues raised by shareholders and review progress toward future goals. These meetings also cover the company’s performance over the past year.
At Apple’s February 24 meeting, participants will vote to elect the board of directors and approve the independent public accounting firm for 2026. They will also vote on the non-employee director’s stock plan, executive pay, and a shareholder proposal about Apple’s manufacturing in China.
Apple announced the 2026 shareholder meeting in an SEC filing on January 8. In the same filing, CEO Tim Cook shared a letter to shareholders spotlighting the company’s 2025 achievements, including the launches of AirPods Pro 3, the iPhone 17 lineup, and the upgraded M5 Apple Vision Pro.
Our latest iPhone lineup features the most powerful iPhone we’ve ever made, with the iPhone 17 Pro, and the thinnest iPhone we’ve made ever made, with iPhone Air and said Cook, as always, we’ve continued to build our values into everything we do, from our devotion to protecting people’s privacy and security to designing our products to be accessible to all.
Apple’s announcement also details Tim Cook’s 2025 target compensation, which is about $74 million. Most of this amount comes from stock options, while the annual cash payout is much smaller.
A rumor from July 2025 suggests that Tim Cook may eventually become chairman of Apple’s board of directors after he retires. Hardware chief Jon Ternus is seen as a possible successor for the CEO role.
The SEC filing from Thursday mainly acts as a proxy statement listing Apple’s achievements in 2025. For those who follow Apple’s finances, this information is not surprising. Shareholder meetings also tend to attract little public interest.
However, one shareholder proposal stands out for its concerns about Apple’s international operations.
Conservative think tank questions Apple’s manufacturing in China
Participants at Apple’s 2026 shareholder meeting will vote on a proposal from a conservative think tank. The National Centre for Public Policy Research plans to submit a proposal about Apple’s activities in China.
Shareholders affiliated with the organization will ask Apple’s board of directors to conduct an evaluation assessing risks and costs associated with the company’s continued entanglement with the People’s Republic of China.
China-related proposals cite concerns about potential tariff increases and claims that China’s control over rare-earth materials could let the country weaponize shortages. It is also argued that Apple was the target of Chinese espionage actions in 2018 and 2019 related to the Apple Car Project.
Apple’s board of directors recommends that shareholders vote against this proposal, stating that the requested report is unnecessary given that we already provide extensive information about our international operations. The proposal was also deemed highly prescriptive, as it attempts to improperly restrict Apple’s capacity to manage its ordinary business operations and strategies.
While questions remain about Apple’s operations in China, the company’s 2025 revenue results clearly show its overall success.
Apple’s SEC filing reports a record revenue of US$416.2 billion for the fiscal year 2025. Services grew by 14% year over year. The company also saw strong results in emerging markets like India, Latin America, and the Middle East.
Source: Apple’s 2026 annual shareholder meeting is on February 24
