Tim Cook tells Dua Lipa he wants the next CEO of Apple to be an internal hire

• Tim Cook shed some light on the succession plan for Apple's next CEO in an interview with Dua Lipa.
• Cook said he's hoping the company's next CEO will come from within the company.
• But he added that he doesn't have plans to step down anytime soon and "loves" being there.

While Apple CEO Tim Cook doesn't have plans to step down from his post anytime soon, he said he's already thinking about the kind of person who will eventually replace him.

"I really want the person to come from within Apple," Cook told singer Dua Lipa on a recent episode of her podcast "At Your Service."

Lipa had asked him the rather pointed question of who was in line to succeed him as CEO. Cook responded by smiling, averting his eyes, and explaining that while he couldn't offer a specific name, his role involves grooming "several people" for the board to eventually choose from.

As CEO, Cook's daily schedule includes starting his days at 3:45 a.m. and powering through a marathon of meetings. Still, he told Lipa that he can't "envision his life" without being at Apple — and doesn't seem to have plans to step down any time soon.

Should anything happen to him before he's ready to pass the baton, though, he said the company has a plan in place.

"We're a company that believes in succession plans and we have very detailed succession plans," he told Lipa, "because something that's unpredictable can always happen. I can step off the wrong curb tomorrow."

Cook succeeded Apple founder Steve Jobs as the CEO of Apple August 2011. At the time, Jobs noted that he believed Apple's "brightest and most innovative days" were ahead of it, but in the months that followed, Cook also contended with speculation about whether he could really fill Jobs' shoes.

Under Cook's tenure, though, Apple has released the Apple Watch, AirPods, expanded its lineup of iPhones, and crossed the $3 trillion market cap mark.

Analysts say the company may even cross the $4 trillion market by 2025, so Cook will likely be around for that milestone, too.

Apple did not immediately respond to Insider's request for a comment.