Tim Cook already has stepped up to assure Apple employees that the company isn’t going to change, according to an internal email seen by Ars Technica. In the email — sent to all employees early Thursday, one day after Steve Jobs announced his resignation as CEO — Cook said working with Jobs and Apple has been “the privilege of a lifetime” and he’s looking forward to the years ahead.

Here is the full text of the e-mail:

Team:

I am looking forward to the amazing opportunity of serving as CEO of the most innovative company in the world. Joining Apple was the best decision I’ve ever made and it’s been the privilege of a lifetime to work for Apple and Steve for over 13 years. I share Steve’s optimism for Apple’s bright future.

Steve has been an incredible leader and mentor to me, as well as to the entire executive team and our amazing employees. We are really looking forward to Steve’s ongoing guidance and inspiration as our Chairman.

I want you to be confident that Apple is not going to change. I cherish and celebrate Apple’s unique principles and values. Steve built a company and culture that is unlike any other in the world and we are going to stay true to that—it is in our DNA. We are going to continue to make the best products in the world that delight our customers and make our employees incredibly proud of what they do.

I love Apple and I am looking forward to diving into my new role. All of the incredible support from the Board, the executive team and many of you has been inspiring. I am confident our best years lie ahead of us and that together we will continue to make Apple the magical place that it is.

Tim

Those who follow Apple know Tim Cook has been an active contributor to Apple’s success in his role as chief operating officer. He has been credited with working aggressively to lower Apple’s hardware and gadget prices and making deals with component suppliers to give Apple an upper hand in the market. He is gruff and assertive in person, but in a way that makes people feel secure, and this no doubt is part of the reason Apple has been slowly introducing Cook to the public through Apple keynotes in recent years.

In the public’s eye, Cook has become the Riker to Jobs’ Picard—and people generally like Riker. There may be no way to truly replace Steve Jobs, but Apple knows that publicly supporting Tim Cook is, at the very least, good PR.

Photo Jon Snyder/Wired.com