Cook moves into the role of Executive Chairman as Ternus becomes Apple’s new CEO
Tim Cook has stepped down as Chief Executive Officer of Apple, handing over the leadership of the technology giant to John Ternus, who previously served as Apple’s Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering.
Effective September 1, Cook will transition into the role of Executive Chairman, bringing his 15-year tenure as Apple CEO to an end. Cook took over as CEO in 2011, having previously served as the company’s Chief Operating Officer.
Sharing a message with the Apple community ahead of the transition, Cook said that while his title would change, his connection with the company and its people would remain unchanged. He thanked the Apple community for being a constant source of inspiration and expressed excitement about the next chapter.
Ternus, who has spent more than two decades at Apple, will take charge of the company at a time when hardware, artificial intelligence and product innovation remain central to its growth strategy.
As Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, Ternus has overseen Apple’s hardware engineering organisation, including teams responsible for products such as the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, AirPods and Apple Vision Pro.
Before joining Apple, Ternus worked as a mechanical engineer at Virtual Research Systems. Over his more than 25 years at Apple, he has held a number of senior engineering and leadership positions and played a role in the development of several of the company’s major products.
Cook had announced his decision to step down as CEO in April 2026, describing the position as “the best job in the world” and expressing strong confidence in Ternus as his successor.
At the time, Cook praised Ternus for his engineering expertise and product-focused leadership, describing him as a “brilliant engineer and thinker” who had spent the past 25 years helping build Apple products and remained focused on improving them.
The leadership transition marks a significant moment for Apple, with Ternus becoming only the third CEO of the company since 1997, following Steve Jobs and Tim Cook. Cook, meanwhile, will continue to remain closely associated with the company in his new role as Executive Chairman.