- Tim Cook will step down as Apple CEO on Sept 1 and become executive chairman
- John Ternus, hardware chief, will succeed Cook as Apple's CEO after 15 years
- Ternus has spent 25 years at Apple and led development of iPhone, Mac, iPad, and more
Apple said Tim Cook will step down as chief executive on Sept. 1 and move to the role of executive chairman, handing leadership of the iPhone maker to hardware chief John Ternus after nearly 15 years as CEO.
The board approved the transition unanimously after what the company described as a long-term succession process. Cook will remain chief executive through the summer and work with Ternus on the handover before taking up his new post.
The move marks the biggest leadership change at Apple since Cook succeeded Steve Jobs in 2011. It comes after a period in which Apple expanded beyond the iPhone into wearables, services and custom chips, while lifting its market value from about $350 billion to $4 trillion, according to the company.
Cook said leading Apple had been “the greatest privilege of my life”.
“I love Apple with all of my being,” he said. “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 without question the right person to lead Apple into the future.”
Ternus, Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering, will also join the board on Sept. 1. He has worked at Apple for 25 years and has led hardware development across products including iPhone, Mac, iPad, AirPods and Apple Watch.
“I am profoundly grateful for this opportunity to carry Apple's mission forward,” Ternus said. “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.”
The appointment places one of Apple's most senior product leaders in charge at a time when investors are focused on growth beyond smartphones, the pace of new product launches and competition in artificial intelligence.
Ternus joined Apple's product design team in 2001, became a vice president of hardware engineering in 2013 and joined the executive team in 2021. Apple said he played a key role in launches including iPad and AirPods, as well as several generations of iPhone, Mac and Apple Watch.
The company also credited him with work on durability, repairability and lowering the carbon footprint of Apple devices through new materials and manufacturing methods.
Board Changes
Arthur Levinson, who has served as Apple's non-executive chairman for the past 15 years, will become lead independent director on Sept. 1.
Levinson said Cook had transformed Apple and said the board believed Ternus was the right person to succeed him.
“Tim's unprecedented and outstanding leadership has transformed Apple into the world's best company,” Levinson said. “We believe John is the best possible leader to succeed Tim.”
Cook joined Apple in 1998 after working at Compaq and IBM. Since becoming CEO, he has overseen launches including Apple Watch, AirPods and Apple Vision Pro, while expanding services such as Apple Pay, Apple TV+ and Apple Music.
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