Tim Cook steps down as Apple CEO, John Ternus set to replace him

Apple has announced that Tim Cook is stepping down as its chief executive officer, and in his place will be John Ternus, currently the senior vice president of Hardware Engineering. The transition will take place on 1 September 2026, with Cook becoming the executive chairman of Apple’s board of directors after that.

Cook will continue to be CEO until September, working with Ternus during the transition period. As executive chairman, Cook will then help Apple to engage with policymakers around the world. September will also see Ternus join the board of directors, while Arthur Levinson, Cupertino’s non-executive chairman for the past 15 years, will become its lead independent director at the same time.

Here’s Ternus’ full statement following Apple’s announcement:

“I am profoundly grateful for this opportunity to carry Apple’s mission forward. Having spent almost my entire career at Apple, I have been lucky to have worked under Steve Jobs and to have had Tim Cook as my mentor.

It has been a privilege to help shape the products and experiences that have changed so much of how we interact with the world and with one another. I am filled with optimism about what we can achieve in the years to come, and I am so happy to know that the most talented people on earth are here at Apple, determined to be part of something bigger than any one of us.

I am humbled to step into this role, and I promise to lead with the values and vision that have come to define this special place for half a century,” – John Ternus, incoming Apple CEO

Tim Cook added:

“It has been the greatest privilege of my life to be the CEO of Apple and to have been trusted to lead such an extraordinary company. I love Apple with all of my being, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with a team of such ingenious, innovative, creative, and deeply caring people who have been unwavering in their dedication to enriching the lives of our customers and creating the best products and services in the world.

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. 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,” – Tim Cook, current Apple CEO

Ternus has been part of Apple since 2001, joining Cupertino’s product design team before becoming vice president of hardware engineering in 2013 and later senior vice president of hardware engineering in 2021. He had overseen hardware development across a number of categories, working on the iPhone, Mac and Apple Watch as well as helping Apple introduce the iPad and AirPods.

Cook meanwhile almost needs no introduction. Having been with Apple since 1998, he became CEO in 2011 and pushed Cupertino to introduce multiple new product categories both in hardware and services such as iCloud, Apple Pay, Apple TV and Apple Music. Under Cook, Apple went from a market cap of USD350 billion to USD4 trillion, and almost quadrupled yearly revenue to USD416 billion in 2025. Cook also led Cupertino’s move to Apple silicon, while pushing for a reduced carbon footprint and maintaining levels of privacy and security expected of Apple.

According to Cupertino, as part of the transition Johny Srouji will also takeover Ternus’ role in charge of hardware engineering. Srouji is perhaps most well known as one of the faces of Apple silicon, having been with the company since 2008 to lead development on the Apple A4, their first in-house designed system-on-chip. Before that, Srouji spent time at Intel and IBM working on processor development and design.

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