The CEO of Apple, Timothy D. Cook, has described himself as “proud to be gay” in an essay published early Thursday.

Tim Cook is openly gay. (RanZag/Wikicommons)

After years of downplaying his personal life, this makes Cook arguably the most high-profile CEO to come out.

“I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me,” Cook wrote in the Bloomberg Businessweek essay.

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The statement sees Cook defy corporate norms. According to a Deloitte report, 83 percent of LGBT people hide aspects of their identity at work.

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“He has always been a role model, but today millions across the globe will draw inspiration from a different aspect of his life,” said a representative from Human Rights Campaign - America’s largest LGBT civil rights group.

Read more at the New York Times. 

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