What you need to know
- Apple is undergoing a leadership change for the first time in about 15 years, as Tim Cook will step down as CEO later this year.
- John Ternus, Apple’s current senior vice president of hardware engineering, will be the company’s next CEO.
- Cook will remain CEO during a transition period and Ternus will take over on September 1, 2026. Cook will then become executive chairman of Apple’s board of directors.
AppleTim Cook will step down as CEO and John Ternus will become the next CEO, the company announced in a Press release today, April 20. Cook will remain and work with Ternus during a transition period, with Ternus officially becoming CEO of Apple on September 1, 2026. As part of the leadership change, Cook will become executive chairman of Apple’s company’s board of directors, with Ternus also gaining a seat on the board.
Cook has held the title of CEO since 2011, when he replaced the late Steve Jobs. Ternus has worked for 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 a member of the product design team. Apple says Ternus helped introduce the iPad and AirPods, and worked on generations of iPhone, Mac and Apple Watches products.
Ternus has a background in engineering and 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 the mind of an engineer, the soul of an innovator, and the heart to lead with integrity and honor. He is a visionary whose contributions to Apple over 25 years are too numerous to count, and he is without a doubt 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 in this transition and in my new role as CEO.”
Ternus spoke positively about Apple’s future in his press release introducing him as incoming CEO. “I am full of optimism about what we can achieve in the coming years and I am very happy to know that the most talented people in the world are here at Apple, determined to be part of something bigger than any of us,” Ternus said. “I am honored to take on this role and promise to lead with the values and vision that have come to define this special place for half a century.”
Part of the change includes Johny Srouji expanding his role to include Ternus’ previous roles. Srouji’s new title is Apple’s hardware director.
As the transition happens behind the scenes, there are key milestones to pay attention to. Apple will hold a quarterly earnings conference call this Thursday, April 30, where we can hear from Ternus and Cook for the first time since the announcement. Additionally, the September 1 transition is just before Apple normally holds its annual September event. This will likely be the first keynote hosted by Ternus as CEO of Apple.
Cook wrote a open letter to customers and the Apple community following the announcement. “This is not goodbye,” Cook writes, “but in this time of transition I wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you.”
What the industry says
Immediately following the announcement, Apple shares fell about 0.8% in after-hours trading, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Cook had an incredible career at the helm of Apple, as the International Data Corporation (IDC) tells Android Central in an email. Specifically, IDC calls it “one of the most successful mandates in technology history,” adding that “Cook inherited a $350 billion company and handed over a $4 trillion company.”
However, IDC also notes that Apple is at an inflection point:
The iPhone has fueled Apple’s growth story for nearly two decades. It remains the largest contributor to the company’s revenue and the anchor of its ecosystem. But the upgrade cycle is getting longer, saturation in premium markets is real, and the next significant wave of consumer technology isn’t about the phone. It’s about AI. And this is where the strategic pressure on Ternus will be most acute.
Francisco Jerónimo, VP of client devices, IDC
With a background in hardware engineering, Ternus could be judged on whether he can lead Apple through an AI-driven technology boom. “Apple’s next decade will be defined less by hardware perfection, which Ternus clearly understands, and more by whether the company can build a strong AI platform and ecosystem strategy before competitors consolidate their positions,” says Francisco Jerónimo, vice president of client devices at IDC.
Android Central’s opinion
I’m optimistically watching the news about Apple’s upcoming leadership change. There is no doubt that Cook’s tenure as Apple CEO will be considered historic, in virtually every respect. However, it’s clear to anyone watching that Apple’s dominance and signature innovation appear to be fading.
Its most innovative product in more than a decade, the Apple Vision Pro, was not a huge success and its future seems uncertain. the company has stumbled in the age of AIby not offering already announced features, such as reviewed Siri voice assistant. Is relying on third-party companies such as OpenAI and Google to compensate for internal weaknesses in artificial intelligence. Meanwhile, competitors like Google, Samsung, Microsoft and Meta are leaning more than ever toward in-house AI development.
Arguably the big win of Cook’s time as Apple CEO is the emergence of Apple’s M-series desktop and laptop silicon 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 the iPad and Mac hardware lines, and recently introduced the affordable MacBook Neo, joining the redesigned MacBook Air and MacBook Pro.
These are all hardware initiatives led at least in part by Ternus and Srouji. That’s why I’m excited to see the two take on expanded roles at Apple. When Ternus takes the helm as Apple CEO in September, he will become the first CEO with a mechanical engineering background in decades. And Srouji, who is almost entirely responsible for Apple’s silicon success, is becoming Apple’s first hardware director.
Jobs was a legendary innovator and marketer, and Cook is an all-time great operations specialist. Ternus and Srouji could be equally great at hardware development, and could be just what Apple needs.
