New CEO- is that what Apple stock needs now?

Apple Inc AAPL is facing renewed scrutiny over its leadership as the stock continues to underperform in 2025.

”, Craig Moffett disagreed that replacing Tim Cook as the chief executive is the answer to Apple’s problems – noting the company’s stock price has increased 15-fold during his tenure.

According to the industry expert, Cook has been “extraordinarily successful” – but expecting a top executive to single-handedly drive product breakthroughs is unrealistic.

Moffett also hailed Cook’s long-term planning, such as shifting production to India, which he said shows strategic foresight.

Note that Apple shares currently pays a dividend yield of 0.49% – which, while not much, is still an additional reason to own the tech stock.

What’s the fix for Apple Inc then?

On the same CNBC interview, Dominic Rizzo of T. Rowe Price argued Apple’s core issue is not hardware – it’s AI software.

“They need to make some fairly drastic changes on the AI side to get that upgrade cycle back,” he said, pointing to elongated replacement timelines and underwhelming AI features like Siri and on-device models.

Rizzo suggests Apple consider acquisitions, such as Perplexity AI, to accelerate its capabilities. While the iPhone remains “the most important product in the world,” Apple’s failure to deliver compelling AI experiences has left it trailing competitors.

A strategic pivot – whether through partnerships or acquisitions – may be essential to reignite investor confidence in AAPL stock and restore growth momentum, he concluded.