What you need to know
- Apple is undergoing a leadership change for the first time in nearly 15 years, as Tim Cook will step down as CEO later this year.
- Apple’s current senior vice president of hardware engineering, John Ternus, will be the company’s next CEO.
- Cook will remain CEO during the transition period, and Ternus will take over on September 1, 2026. Later, Cook will become the executive chairman of Apple’s board of directors.
appleTim Cook is stepping down as CEO and John Ternus will be the next CEO. press release today, April 20. Cook will remain at Ternus during the transition period, and Ternus will officially become Apple’s CEO on September 1, 2026. As part of the leadership change, Cook will become executive chairman of Apple’s board of directors, and Ternus will also sit on the board.
Cook has been CEO since 2011, when he succeeded the late Steve Jobs. Ternus worked at Apple for more than 25 years, most recently as the company’s senior vice president of hardware engineering. Previously, he served as vice president of hardware engineering and as a member of the product design team. Apple says Ternus helped launch the iPad and AirPods and worked on generations of iPhones, Macs and Apple Watches.
Ternus has an engineering background and holds a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. Before joining Apple, he was a mechanical engineer for Virtual Research systems.
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“John Ternus has an engineering mind, an innovative spirit, and the heart to lead with integrity and honor. He is a visionary whose contributions to Apple for more than 25 years are immeasurable, and he is undoubtedly the right person to lead Apple into the future,” Cook said in a press release. “I could not be more confident in his abilities and character, and I look forward to working closely with him during this transition and in my new role as executive chairman.”
In his introductory press release as incoming CEO, Ternus spoke positively about Apple’s future. “I’m full of optimism about what we can accomplish in the coming years, and I’m thrilled to know that the most talented people on earth are here at Apple, determined to be a part of something bigger than any of us,” said Ternus. “I am humbled to step into this role and pledge to lead with the values and vision that have come to define this special place for half a century.”
Part of the change involves Johny Srouji expanding his role to include Ternus’ previous duties. Srouji’s new title is CTO at Apple.
As the transition happens behind the scenes, there are key milestones to watch out for. Apple will host its quarterly earnings call on Thursday, April 30, where we hear from Ternus and Cook for the first time since the announcement. Additionally, the September 1 switch is before Apple usually holds its annual September event. This will likely be the first speech Ternus hosts as Apple CEO.
Cook wrote open letter to customers and the Apple community after the announcement. “It’s not goodbye,” Cook writes, “but I wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you in this moment of transition.”
What the industry is saying
Apple shares fell about 0.8% in after-hours trading immediately after the announcement, according to the report. The Wall Street Journal.
As the International Data Corporation (IDC) told Android Central in an email, Cook has done an incredible job at the helm of Apple. In particular, IDC calls it “one of the most successful positions in technology history” and adds that “Cook inherited a $350 billion company and turned over a $4 trillion company.”
However, IDC also notes that Apple is at an inflection point:
The iPhone has driven Apple’s growth story for nearly two decades. It remains the company’s largest revenue contributor and the anchor of its ecosystem. But the upgrade cycle is lengthening, saturation in premium markets is real, and the next significant wave of consumer technology isn’t about the phone. It’s about AI. This is where the strategic pressure on Ternus will be most acute.
Francisco Jeronimo, vice president of client devices, IDC
With a background in hardware engineering, Ternus can be judged on his ability to lead Apple through an AI-driven tech boom. “Apple’s next decade will be defined more by hardware excellence, which Ternus clearly understands, than by whether the company can build a strong AI platform and ecosystem strategy before competitors consolidate their position,” said Francisco Jeronimo, vice president of client devices at IDC.
Android Central’s Take
I am optimistic about news of Apple’s upcoming leadership change. There’s no doubt that Cook’s tenure as Apple CEO will go down in history by almost every metric. However, it’s clear to anyone watching that Apple’s dominance and signature innovation is fading.
Its most innovative product in more than a decade, the Apple Vision Pro, hasn’t been a huge success — and its future looks uncertain. There is a company stumbled into the age of artificial intelligencesuch as not being able to ship features that have already been announced Siri has overhauled the voice assistant. it is so It relies on third-party companies like OpenAI and Google to fix internal vulnerabilities in artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, competitors like Google, Samsung, Microsoft and Meta are more than ever leaning towards in-house AI development.
The big triumph of Cook’s tenure as Apple CEO is undoubtedly the emergence of Apple’s M series of silicon laptop and desktop processors. Starting with the Apple M1 in 2020, Apple has established itself as a leader in Arm-based silicon with powerful and efficient chips. It also overhauled its iPad and Mac hardware lines, debuting the latest budget MacBook Neo, joining the redesigned MacBook Air and MacBook Pro.
These are all hardware initiatives managed at least in part by Ternus and Srouji. That’s why I’m excited to see both of them take on expanded roles at Apple. When Ternus takes over as Apple’s CEO in September, he will be the first executive in decades with an engineering background. And Srouji, who is almost entirely responsible for the success of Apple’s silicon, becomes Apple’s first CTO.
Jobs was a legendary marketer and innovator, while Cook is the greatest operations expert of all time. Ternus and Srouji might be equally good at developing hardware, and that might just be what Apple needs.
