作為首個宣稱自己是gay是全球500強CEO，庫克的出柜獲得了一片喝彩。然而也許有人會問：為什么現在才出柜？

出柜的好萊塢和體育明星變多了，但是在保守的商界，這仍然很少見，更何況是在全球最賺錢的科技公司之一。庫克在《彭博商業周刊》發文公布自己的性取向以來，維珍集團的創始人理查德·布蘭森和weiruanCEO薩蒂亞·納德拉等均在twitter上點贊。

在庫克之前，英國石油公司的約翰·布朗尼是被認為是最高層的出柜商業人士。出柜后，布朗尼一直在游說公司對待性向更加開放。他還出了一本書《透明的柜子——為什么出柜對生意有益》。

媒介公司UM的全球CEO達利爾·李表示，出柜是一種力量的來源，而這對經營公司來說很重要。

硅谷居民薩佛則認為，庫克出柜的重要性并非在于個人告白，而是移情。庫克要強調的是，作為蘋果的領導人，他有能力在后喬布斯時代重新定義這家特立獨行的公司。

Apple's Tim Cook is the first publicly gay CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Amid the din of applause, one might also ask: What took so long?

Public confirmations of sexuality have increased in Hollywood, and have started to appear in the sports world, including that of football player Michael Sam, who came out right before this year's NFL draft. But it's rare to see in the traditionally conservative business world, let alone at one of the world's most profitable tech companies.

The ripple effect of Cook's essay in Bloomberg Businessweek magazine Thursday was immediate, generating tweets from the likes of Virgin Group founder Richard Branson ("Inspirational words") and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella ("Inspired by @tim_cook").

Inspired by @tim_cook: “Life’s most persistent & urgent question is ‘What are you doing for others?’" http://t.co/wjzW5QPxqY via @BW — Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) October 30, 2014

From one son of the South and sports fanatic to another, my hat's off to you, @Tim_cook. http://t.co/1dXvRa2Nhu — Bill Clinton (@billclinton) October 30, 2014

Before Cook, the most senior exec identified as gay was British Petroleum's John Browne, who resigned in 2007 after his sexuality was revealed by a British tabloid. He has since lobbied for more openness in the workplace, particularly in his June book, The Glass Closet: Why Coming Out Is Good for Business.

One reason why being gay in business may remain relatively taboo has "to do with perception of strength, which it shouldn't," says Daryl Lee, global CEO of media agency UM. "You don't want to take any risks in business and you don't want to be seen as weak."

But if you're gay and come out, he says, "it can be a source of strength."

Lee has been out for his entire career. He sees more acceptance of gay leaders in the last few years, and credits the rise of marriage equality to helping foster that. "Things are changing so quickly around LGBT prominence, respect and status in this county, (and) I suppose business is catching up," he says.

For Silicon Valley denizen Saffo, the importance of Cook's essay lies less in the personal confession and more in what it says about the Apple leader's ability to redefine the maverick company in the post-Steve Jobs era.

"This isn't a spotlight on Tim's sexuality, it's on his empathy," he says. "Since he's taken over (after Job's death in 2011), Tim has gradually pushed a series of progressive policies at Apple that include everything from charitable giving to environmental concerns.

"So this is just a part of that bigger picture. It just means Tim will no longer have to walk a tightrope when it comes to who he is."

（來源：USA Today 編輯：祝興媛）