There were rumblings of this happening in the near future, and apparently, the time is soon upon us. Yup, you read the headline correctly, as Tim Cook is set to step down as Apple CEO. The news came out yesterday afternoon via a letter from Cook himself and an official press release. It is truly the end of an era at the house Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak built, but it will also mark the beginning of a new one.
And who is the heir apparent? None other than Apple’s SVP of Hardware Engineering, John Ternus, who has been with the company since 2001. Cook will step down on September 1st of this year and become executive chairman of the company’s board of directors, as Ternus will usher in the new iPhones and other Apple hardware towards the last quarter of 2026.
Tim Cook has been with the company since 1998 and became CEO in 2011, after Steve Jobs stepped down. During Cook’s tenure as CEO, he helped usher in and grow pivotal products and services, including the Apple Watch, AirPods, Vision Pro, iCloud, Apple Pay, Apple TV, and Apple Music, the transition to Apple Silicon, and, more importantly, tripling the company’s revenue.
Ternus is no stranger to accomplishments either. He was key to the introduction of the iPad and AirPods, his team worked on the iPhone 17 lineup (which includes the Air) and the MacBook Neo, added over-the-counter hearing functionality to the AirPods Pro, and is credited for reducing Apple’s carbon footprint by implementing recycled aluminum and making Apple hardware easier to repair.
