Tim Cook:

Fifty years ago in a small garage, a big idea was born. Apple was founded on the simple notion that technology should be personal, and that belief — radical at the time — changed everything.

That “big idea” changed millions of lives—including my own.

Through every breakthrough, one idea has guided us — that the world is moved forward by people who think different.

That’s because progress always begins with someone — an inventor or scientist, a student or storyteller — who imagines a better way, a new idea, a different path. That spirit has guided Apple from the start. But it has never belonged to us alone.

Every invention we bring into the world is just the beginning of a story. The most meaningful chapters are written by all of you — the people who use our technology to work, learn, dream, and discover. You’ve made breakthroughs and launched businesses. You’ve cheered up loved ones in the hospital and captured your toddler’s first steps. You’ve run marathons, written books, and rekindled friendships. You’ve chased your curiosity, found your new favorite song, and shared stories that connect us all.

In your hands, the tools we make have improved lives, and sometimes even saved them. And that is what inspires us — not what technology can do alone, but everything you can do with it.

I’ve been using Apple computers for 45 of Apple’s 50 years, starting with the Apple II. For all those years, an Apple computer has always been my partner, enabling me to explore and express my creativity and connect to the world—from programming to theatre to page layout to writing to photography.

The “Think Different” campaign has long been my favorite, and I’m thrilled to see Cook reference it as the company heads toward fifty. Thinking different—being different—is core to us Apple fans, despite Apple’s sometimes baffling and often frustrating business and geopolitical decisions. We are creative souls and Apple still builds some of the best tools for nurturing our creativity. Apple’s culture of excellence inspires us all to expect excellence of ourselves and of others—including Apple itself. At fifty, it may have lost a bit of its youthful shine, but it remains the industry leader in several areas, from design to inclusion and diversity to the environment. Most importantly for its future, it is stocked to the brim with some of the brightest, most talented, most dedicated people in the world.

That is worth celebrating.