Who is Julie Lee Choi? Woman Stalked Apple CEO Tim Cook with Disturbing Claims

Apple CEO Tim Cook faced an alarming ordeal when a woman named Julie Lee Choi began stalking him, making bizarre allegations that she was his wife and the mother of his children—despite Cook publicly confirming in 2014 that he is gay.

Choi, a 45-year-old resident of Virginia, allegedly harassed Cook for over a year, even driving across the country to follow him. Court documents reveal that in October 2021, she appeared outside his home on two occasions and warned she “could get violent.” She also sent him photos of a gun and claimed she had twins with him.

According to reports, Choi trespassed on Cook’s Palo Alto property twice in 2020. Apple responded by taking legal action, and in 2022, during a Santa Clara County court hearing, she agreed to stay at least 200 yards away from Cook and avoid any contact—including emails or social media—for three years.

Choi’s harassment began in 2020, with a series of disturbing emails requesting sex. In one, she wrote, “I can’t live like this anymore,” and in another, “I want sex with you, please, please.” She also sent a message stating, “Tim, we are destined for our lives,” and another reading, “What you have done is criminal defence, murder.”

The threats escalated in November 2020 when she sent a picture of a loaded pistol and wrote, “My new gun will never return it at this time before I shoot!” On Halloween, she posted tweets claiming she was Cook’s wife. Reports state she sent him around 200 emails, at one point admitting she was taking mental medication because of him.

Apple has faced similar incidents in the past, including securing a restraining order against Rakesh Sharma, who visited Cook’s home twice and made threats. Due to such security concerns, Apple reportedly spent over $630,000 on Cook’s personal protection in 2021, according to The Associated Press.