In a recent interview, Apple CEO Tim Cook talked about his decision to come out gay.

In coming out five years ago, Cook became the first openly gay CEO of a Fortune 500 company.

“I have not regretted it for one minute. Not at all,” he told People en Espanol.

Cook elaborated on what he meant when he said in coming out that being gay is a gift from God.

“I think there’s many meanings behind this,” he said. “One is, it was his decision, not mine. Two, at least for me, I can only speak for myself, it gives me a level of empathy that I think is probably much higher than average because being gay or trans, you’re a minority.”

“I’m not saying that I understand the trials and tribulations of every minority group, because I don’t. But I do understand for one of the groups. And to the degree that it helps give you a lens on how other people may feel, I think that’s a gift in and of itself.”

Young people struggling with their sexuality need to know that “gay is not a limitation,” he said.

“It’s a characteristic that I hope they view, like I do, that it’s God’s greatest gift. That’s what I hope: to get that message out there to all the young kids struggling with their identity who aren’t certain that they’re resilient enough or good enough, or [they] are made to feel inferior in some way, or worse, are ostracized or whatever. Life doesn’t need to be like this,” he said.