Apple Announces Historic Leadership Transition as Tim Cook Steps Down; John Ternus Named Successor

Tim Cook, a former Apple veteran, said Monday that the company will resign as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), “will be stepping down from his position as an Apple employee.” The leadership transition, which will be held later this year, is when Cook hand over the reins to a senior executive at the company. The decision is one of the most important leadership changes at Apple since Cook took over after Apple co-founder Steve Jobs died in 2011 and it’s a move that the Cupertino-based tech giant says was unanimously approved by the Board of Directors.

Apple Names New CEO

A newsroom post in the story said Apple had announced Tim Cook would become executive chairman of boards’ board of directors. The CEO will be John Ternus, Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering at Apple, who takes over from September 1, 2026 as CEO. According to the company, Cook will remain CEO for the summer and work closely with Ternus to ensure a smooth transition.

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Cook is still involved with the company in his new role, Apple said, particularly in areas such as working with international policymakers.

It has been my biggest honor to be Apple CEO… I love Apple with all of my being,’ said Ternus, ‘It is ‘without questioning the right person who will lead Apple into the future in our future. – ’.

In his statement, Ternus said ‘This is an opportunity to carry Apple’s mission forward… I promise that we will lead with the values and vision which have been shaping this special place for 50 years. , ” and.

Arthur Levinson (who was a non-executive chairman for the past 15 years) will be lead independent director as part of the leadership reshuffle, which is headed by his former colleague and fellow leader. On September 1 Ternus will also be on the board of directors at Apple. While Levinson praised Cook’s tenure, saying that his leadership ‘made Apple the best company in the world’ while insisting Ternus was “the best leader” to take the company forward.

Tim Cook’s Legacy

notably Tim Cook, who was introduced to Apple in 1998 and became CEO in 2011. He’s also led one of the most transformative periods in company history, over the last 15 years under a leadership role that has been played by . Under his leadership, Apple’s market capitalisation grew from around $350 billion to $4 trillion; annual revenue increased from $108 billion in 2011 to over $416 billion during 2025.

Apple’s services business, including iCloud, Apple Pay, iTunes TV+ and Apple Music, was expanded to $100 billion by Cook as it continued to grow into new product categories like the Apple Watch, AirPods (the first of its own products), while also scaling down from service businesses such as an upcoming iPhone Watch/Apple Pay-based services company that has been operating in many different industries.

Similarly, he led the way Apple has transitioned to in-house silicon — one of the most notable changes in its history. While under Cook, the tech giant is also said to have cut its carbon footprint by more than 60 percent and expanded into over 200 countries and territories during Cook’s tenure.

About John Ternus

For more than 20 years, John Ternus has worked with Apple as a product design partner for the company since 2001. In 2013 he was elected vice president of Hardware Engineering and became the executive team’s first person to be in 2021. During the years, Apple says he has been instrumental in shaping Apple’s hardware roadmap across multiple categories.

Ternus, who has been a director of engineering projects on iPhone and Mac products as well as iPad, Apple Watch and AirPods, has also helped launch new product lines. He’s also a leader in hardware design, including the development of the Mac line and newer iPhone generations.

His technical background includes a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania and previous experience as’mechanical engineer’.

Former Bloomberg spokesman Mark Gurman said that John Ternus, “the youngest member of the company’s executive team,” is thus providing the longest possible runway. Additionally Ternus oversees Apple’s hardware vision, one of the tech giant’ core businesses, and is “highly respected” by both Cook and former Apple Chief Operating Officer (COO) Jeff Williams.