Among those who took to Twitter to praise Apple CEO Tim Cook for admitting his sexual orientation were former President Bill Clinton, NBA player Jason Collins and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
"So let me be clear: I'm proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me," wrote Apple CEO Tim Cook in Bloomberg Businessweek.
Referring to himself as "one son of the South and sports fanatic to another," Clinton tweeted his support for Cook saying, "my hat's off to you."
In 2013, Collins also publicly revealed his sexual orientation, making him the first openly gay active NBA player. He tweeted "So proud of Apple CEO" and quoted Cook's statement, "We pave the sunlit path toward justice together, brick by brick."
After publicly coming out, Cook became Fortune 500's only openly gay CEO.
Cook's Microsoft counterpart, Nadella, also tweeted his support by quoting Cook's statement, "Life's most persistent & urgent question is 'What are you doing for others?"
On the other hand, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said Cook "makes his personal decisions, and that is his life" during his recent appearance on CNBC's "Squawk Box."
"Those are his personal choices (but) I'll tell you, I love my iPhone," said Cruz, who is one of the politicians who do not support same-sex marriage.
Since Cook assumed Steve Jobs' position in Apple in 2011, the Cupertino-based company has introduced a couple of new devices in its product line, such as the Apple Watch and the iPad Air.
Under Cook's tutelage, Apple has continuously impressed its shareholders with its skyrocketing stock price, except for the six-month setback from 2012 to 2013, according to TIME.
While he has neither denied nor publicly acknowledged his sexuality in the past, Cook said he has been open with many people about his sexual orientation. He said plenty of his colleagues at Apple know he is gay but never discriminated him.
Cook does not consider himself an activist, but his realization of how much he has benefited from the sacrifice of others made him speak publicly about his sexual orientation.