Apple has announced the biggest leadership change in the past 15 years, with Tim Cook set to be handing the chief baton to current SVP of Hardware Engineering, John Ternus, effective 1 September 2026. As for Tim Cook himself, he’ll become executive chairman of the tech giant, with Apple stating the decision was “approved unanimously by the board following a long-term succession planning process.”
John Ternus Is The Next Apple CEO
“Cook will continue in his role as CEO through the summer as he works closely with Ternus on a smooth transition. As executive chairman, Cook will assist with certain aspects of the company, including engaging with policymakers around the world,” the company said in its press release. Simultaneously, Arthur Levinson, who has served as non-executive chairman for 15 years, will become lead independent director starting 1 September, while Ternus will join Apple’s board of directors on the same date.
Tim Cook joined Apple in 1998 and became CEO in 2011, inheriting the position from Steve Jobs who was just months before passing due to cancer at that point. During his tenure, the company has opened new avenues in wearables, led by several highly-successful lineups comprising Apple Watch and AirPods, with Vision Pro being his final all-new hardware project. Macs under his watch has also seen a major hardware transition from Intel/Radeon combination to its in-house M-series processors with resounding success.
More importantly, he also spearheaded Apple’s presence in software services including iCloud, Apple Pay, Apple TV and Apple Music, which largely contributed to the company’s over 10-fold market capitalization from approximately $350 billion in 2011 to $4 trillion today. In the past 15 years (and celebrating its 50th anniversary this year), Apple has established its presence in more than 200 countries and regions, with its active device base reaching more than 2.5 billion units worldwide.
So what can we expect from the new boss? John Ternus holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, and previously worked as a mechanical engineer at Virtual Research Systems before joining Apple in 2001 as part of the product design team. He was then appointed vice president of Hardware Engineering in 2013, before joining the executive team in 2021. Given the timing, he’ll likely be representing Apple as CEO for the first time in front of screens with the next iPhone launch come this September.
“John Ternus has the mind of an engineer, the soul of an innovator, and the heart to lead with integrity and with honor. He is a visionary whose contributions to Apple over 25 years are already too numerous to count, and he is without question the right person to lead Apple into the future,” said Cook. “I could not be more confident in his abilities and his character, and I look forward to working closely with him on this transition and in my new role as executive chairman.”
Pokdepinion: Got to admit, Tim Cook has a lot of credit for making Apple the giant that it is today.