Apple CEO Tim Cook came out publicly as gay Thursday, saying he is proud of his sexual orientation and considers it "among the greatest gifts God has given me."
 
Cook made the announcement in an essay written for Bloomberg Businessweek. He is considered one of the highest-profile CEOs to come out as gay.

"For years, I've been open with many people about my sexual orientation. Plenty of colleagues at Apple know I'm gay, and it doesn't seem to make a difference in the way they treat me," Cook said in the essay.

Cook said he is lucky to work at Apple, which he said "loves creativity and innovation and knows it can only flourish when you embrace people's differences."

He added, "While I have never denied my sexuality, I haven't publicly acknowledged it either, until now. So let me be clear: I'm proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me."

Cook said he doesn't consider himself an activist, but hopes his coming-out decision helps other people.

"So if hearing that the CEO of Apple is gay can help someone struggling to come to terms with who he or she is, or bring comfort to anyone who feels alone, or inspire people to insist on their equality, then it's worth the trade-off with my own privacy," he said. (Yonhap)