Tim Cook to step down as Apple CEO with John Ternus to assume the role
The change will be effective on September 1
š Apple CEO Tim Cook will step down on September 1
š Senior VP of Hardware Engineering, John Ternus, is taking his place
š„ Cook will remain at Apple on its board
š Cook has served as CEO of Apple since 2011, following Steve Jobsā resignation
Apple CEO Tim Cook is officially stepping down. The company announced the major change in a press release, revealing that senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, John Ternus, will take his place. Cookās departure will be effective on September 1, where heāll shift his role to executive chairman of Appleās board of directors.
āIt 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,ā Cook said in a statement. āI 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,ā said Cook. āJohn 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.ā
āI am profoundly grateful for this opportunity to carry Appleās mission forward,ā Ternus shared. āHaving 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.ā
Cook has been CEO of Apple since August 24, 2011, following Steve Jobsā resignation due to his declining health at the time. Cook helped usher in products like the Apple Watch, AirPods, Apple Vision Pro, and more during his tenure, as well as Appleās now $100 billion Services business with Apple Pay, Music, TV, iCloud, and many others. Heās also responsible for Appleās focus on health, calling it the companyās greatest contribution to humanity many times over the years.
Appleās market cap grew from $350 billion to $4 trillion under Cookās leadership, a 1,000+% increase, with over 100,000 team members and over 2.5 billion active Apple devices in the world. Itās a very different Apple than the one he inherited, making Ternusā shift in role seem even more daunting, just from the outside.
Speaking of which, Ternus has been with Apple since 2001, overseeing the introduction of the iPad and AirPods and various generations of iPhone, Mac, and Apple Watch. Heās largely to thank for the success of Appleās Mac business, too. Since its shift to ARM-based in-house silicon in 2020, sales have grown and remained strong, with expectations for the future of Mac sales even higher than ever thanks to the incredibly well-received MacBook Neo.
Tim Cook will remain as CEO at Apple throughout the summer and help John Ternus transition into the new role. It seems that Ternusā first big product launch will be the companyās first foldable iPhone, which we expect to debut shortly following Ternusā takeover in September.
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Max Buondonno is an editor at The Shortcut and co-host of The Shortcut Live. Heās been reporting on the latest consumer technology since 2015, with his work featured on CNN Underscored, ZDNET, How-To Geek, XDA, TheStreet, and more. Follow him on X @LegendaryScoop and Instagram @LegendaryScoop.