Apple Appoints John Ternus as New CEO, Succeeding Tim Cook

Tue Apr 21 2026 03:45:05 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

In a significant leadership change, Apple has announced that John Ternus will take over as CEO from Tim Cook, who is stepping down after 15 years at the helm. Ternus, known for his engineering expertise, aims to drive innovation and product differentiation as the tech giant faces new market challenges.

Apple has appointed John Ternus as its new chief executive, effective September 1, succeeding Tim Cook who has led the company for 15 years. Ternus, who has been with Apple for 25 years, brings extensive hardware engineering experience and is seen as a visionary leader to help the company innovate further. Cook, who will transition to executive chairman, reflects on his tenure that witnessed Apple's market valuation grow exponentially and looks to guide Ternus during the transition.

Apple has named John Ternus as its new chief executive to replace Tim Cook who is stepping down after 15 years of leading the technology giant.

Ternus, currently the head of hardware engineering who has been at Apple for 25 years, will take over on 1 September and Cook will become executive chairman.

Cook has been chief executive of Apple since 2011 after co-founder Steve Jobs resigned for health reasons, shortly before his death. Cook will stay as chief executive through the summer to work with Ternus on the transition after which he will assist with certain aspects of the company, including engaging with policymakers around the world.

Cook's decision to step away from the chief executive role follows months of speculation that Apple was looking for a successor. He described the job as the greatest privilege of my life and during his tenure he led the company to become one of the most valuable in the world.

In 2018, Apple became the first public company to be valued at $1 trillion (£740bn). It is now worth $4 trillion.

Cook described Ternus as a visionary executive with the mind of an engineer, the soul of an innovator and the heart to lead with integrity and honour. He is without question the right person to lead Apple into the future, Cook added.

Ternus emerged as a favourite to replace Cook last year, after another long-time executive, chief operating officer Jeff Williams, left the company. During his quarter century at Apple, Ternus has worked on essentially every major product the company has released, including every generation of the iPad, many generations of the iPhone, and the launch of AirPods and the Apple Watch. He also oversaw the transition of Mac computer processors to Apple's own silicon. Ternus also worked under Jobs. In a statement on Monday, he referred to Cook as his mentor and said, I am filled with optimism about what we can achieve in the years to come.

The naming of a leader from a product and hardware background may allow Apple to emerge from constant criticism of Cook's tenure, which some argue lacked innovation. While Cook oversaw a four-fold increase in Apple's yearly profit, with significant global product expansion, the company's product line has remained largely static.

Analysts suggest Ternus's appointment indicates a renewed focus on differentiation and innovation in Apple’s products, particularly with a competitive landscape rapidly evolving towards AI and other technologies.