I wouldn't have guessed (/remembered) it had been ten years of Cook, but what I do remember is people saying exactly that when he took over.

I suppose at some point all companies die/fade into obscurity/are different companies in all but name; maybe in 2080 or whatever we'll be able to say - ah, yep, knew it, Apple was for the dogs as soon as Jobs left, was only a matter of time!

Cook came to Apple only a year after Jobs did. Apple bought NeXT in 1997 and Cook joined Apple in 1998 (Jobs recruited him). So it’s hard to untangle their impacts. Apple became so successful in this century because of both great products and great operations.