The CEO of one of the largest tech companies in the world, Apple, came out of the closet officially in an essay published in Bloomberg Businessweek on Thursday.

Tim Cook told the world he was gay, hoping to help any person who is struggling with their identity. The essay makes Cook the most high-profile openly gay CEO in the world.

"While I have never denied my sexuality, I haven't publicly acknowledged it either, until now. So let me be clear: I'm proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me," Cook wrote, explaining he was inspired by Dr. Martin Luther King to come out and help others.

Cook explained how he values his personal privacy, despite being one of the most important people in the tech industry; however, he said he would be willing to sacrifice that in order to help others battling with their own personal issues.

"I don't consider myself an activist, but I realize how much I've benefited from the sacrifice of others. So if hearing that the CEO of Apple is gay can help someone struggling to come to terms with who he or she is, or bring comfort to anyone who feels alone, or inspire people to insist on their equality, then it's worth the trade-off with my own privacy," Cook continued.

Cook went on to explain Apple's commitment to LGBT rights as well as human rights in general, advocating for progressive LGBT legislation in various states.

Just a couple days before the essay's publication, Cook criticized his home state of Alabama for not moving quickly to embrace full equality for LGBT people.

"As a state, we took too long to steps toward equality," Cook, said, according to AL.com. "We were too slow on equality for African-Americans. We were too slow on interracial marriage, and we are still too slow for the equality for the LGBT community."

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