Apple announced Monday that Tim Cook will step down as chief executive this September after leading the company for more than a decade. He will hand the CEO role to longtime Apple executive John Ternus, marking the first leadership transition at the top since founder Steve Jobs’ death.
Ternus, currently senior vice president of hardware engineering, said he is honored to take on the role, noting his long tenure at the company and the influence of both Jobs and Cook on his career. He said it has been a privilege to help design products and experiences that have reshaped how people interact with the world and with each other.
Ternus joined Apple’s product design team in 2001, became vice president of hardware engineering in 2013 and was promoted to senior vice president in 2021, reporting directly to Cook. He has led teams responsible for the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and AirPods, played a role in renewed Mac growth, and presented the iPhone Air last fall — described as Apple’s biggest iPhone redesign since 2017. He will join Apple’s board effective September 1.
Cook, who became CEO in 2011, will remain at Apple as executive chairman. The leadership change comes as the company faces growing pressure to demonstrate it can keep pace in artificial intelligence. In a related move, Johny Srouji, who has overseen Apple’s custom chip and sensor design teams, has been named chief hardware officer.
Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko