After 15 years as chief executive, Tim Cook will step down as Apple CEO on 1 September 2026 and transition to executive chairman, with John Ternus set to succeed him after a planned handover.
A planned handover
Apple announced on Monday that Tim Cook will step down as chief executive on 1 September 2026 and transition to the role of executive chairman of the board. The company said Cook will remain in the CEO position through the summer to work with his successor on what it described as a smooth handover.
John Ternus, who currently is Apple's senior vice-president of hardware engineering, will become chief executive on that date. Apple said the move follows long-term succession planning inside the company and described the change as the next phase in its leadership timeline.
What Cook said
In a letter to the Apple community, Tim Cook reflected on his time leading the firm and the daily habit that, he said, grounded him: reading emails from users describing how Apple products had affected their lives. "In every one of those emails I feel the beating heart of our shared humanity," Cook wrote. He called the job of running Apple "the greatest privilege of my life."
Cook praised Ternus directly. He described him as "a brilliant engineer and thinker" who has spent 25 years building Apple products and who obsesses over detail and design. "He is the perfect person for the job," Cook wrote, adding that he will work closely with Ternus during the transition.
Who is John Ternus?
John Ternus joined Apple in the late 1990s and rose through engineering ranks to lead hardware development for the iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Colleagues and shareholders point to his long tenure inside the product teams and his reputation for technical depth.
Ternus has been involved in Apple’s recent product work, including the hardware design that supports the company’s services and wearables. The move elevates an engineer with operational experience to the very top of a company widely known for pairing industrial design with tight software integration.
Broader executive reshuffle
The announcement came after a string of senior departures at Apple in late 2025, when the company lost executives responsible for artificial intelligence, public policy and design. Apple said the appointments are part of an organised succession plan that reassigns responsibilities across the top team.
As part of the reshuffle, Apple said Johny Srouji will move into the position of chief hardware officer, taking on responsibilities that had been handled by Ternus. That change will create a new reporting structure for hardware across the company.
Cook’s decade and a half at the helm
Tim Cook became Apple’s CEO in 2011, succeeding Steve Jobs. Under his leadership the company broadened its business beyond the Mac and iPhone to build large services such as music and video, and new hardware lines like wearables and health-tracking devices.
During Cook’s tenure Apple grew into one of the most valuable firms in the world. The company pushed further into entertainment and health, and made the Apple Watch and AirPods core parts of its strategy.
Apple’s market value rose dramatically while the business diversified from its early product mix.
Why the change matters
The selection of a hardware engineering chief to run Apple signals continuity around product-led strategy. Apple’s products are the junction where hardware, software and services meet, and Ternus’s background suggests the company will sustain that emphasis. At the same time, Cook’s move to executive chairman will keep him involved with the company while day-to-day leadership transitions to Ternus.
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Cook wrote: "This isn't goodbye," saying he would remain involved as executive chairman during the transition.
This article was created with AI assistance.
