Tim Cook is finally resigning from the position of CEO of Apple, which he led for 15 years. On Thursday, his newly appointed successor, John Ternuscalled his first earnings call as the incoming CEO on camera and gave a sneak peek at what Apple fans can expect from his tenure.
“There’s an incredible roadmap ahead, and while you won’t press me to talk about the details of that roadmap, suffice it to say that this is the most exciting time in my 25-year career at Apple to create products and services,” Ternus told investors.
When asked about his advice for Ternus, Cook said “never forget” that Apple users are “the North Star for the company.”
“We’re about making the best products in the world that really enrich other people’s lives. If you focus on that and make decisions around that, it’s going to create a great business and we’ll be able to make more products and do it all over again,” Cook said on the call. “Our roadmap is incredible, and most importantly, we have the right leader ready to step into the role. Like I said, there’s no one on the planet I trust more than John Ternus to lead Apple into the future.”
Ternus’ position as CEO will begin in September. While executives are keeping the product roadmap under wraps for now, foldable iPhone expected, and Apple wants Ternus to be the face people associate with it.
In his current role, Ternus leads the company’s hardware engineering efforts. The prospect of a hardware specialist in charge has excited Apple fans who are frustrated by what they claim is a slowdown in innovation in product launches. Cook was blamed for the lack of these revolutionary changes.
But while he may not have been as innovative as Steve Jobs, Cook oversaw the company’s transformation into a trillion-dollar behemoth four times over. On Thursday’s earnings call, Ternus pledged to continue Cook’s style of financial leadership.
Ternus told investors (Kevan, Apple CFO Kevan Parekh): “One of the hallmarks of Tim’s tenure has been the thoughtfulness, thoughtfulness and discipline he has brought to the company’s financial decision-making, and I want you to know that Kevan and I intend to continue that when we take over in September.”
Apple is already promoting Ternus’ hardware engineering prowess as a benefit to the company. On the call, Cook shared that the iPhone 17 family, powered by Ternus, is currently the most popular product line in Apple’s history.
Products aside, Ternus will have a lot to answer for on the AI side as well. The tech giant is slowly making headway in artificial intelligence, while peers like Google and Microsoft have overtaken it with artificial intelligence innovation. The company has long promised a big leap in artificial intelligence with an improved Siri, but had to push back the launch at the latest in March 2025. The delay frustrated fans, reportedly caused an internal rift at the company, and even led to federal lawsuits accusing Apple of false advertising. Personalized Siri was expected to arrive earlier this year, but it did it is still reported to be late.
On the call, Cook reiterated that a “more personalized Siri” is still coming later this year.
