Apple’s next leadership chapter begins on 1 September 2026, when John Ternus takes over as chief executive and Tim Cook becomes executive chairman of the company’s board.
The transition was announced by Apple in April after unanimous board approval. Cook has remained CEO through the summer while working with Ternus on the handover.
A hardware veteran moves into Apple’s top job
Ternus joined Apple in 2001 and currently serves as senior vice president of Hardware Engineering. His teams have overseen hardware development across products including the iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods and Apple Watch, placing him close to the design and manufacturing decisions at the centre of Apple’s business.
Apple says Ternus has also led work on product reliability, durability, repairability and lower-carbon materials. Before joining the company, he worked as a mechanical engineer at Virtual Research Systems and earned a mechanical-engineering degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
Ternus will join Apple’s board when he becomes CEO. Arthur Levinson, who has served as non-executive chairman for 15 years, will become lead independent director on the same date.
Cook remains involved as executive chairman
Cook became Apple CEO in August 2011, shortly before co-founder Steve Jobs died. His tenure saw the company broaden its hardware portfolio with products such as Apple Watch and AirPods, build a much larger services business and grow into one of the world’s most valuable public companies.
His move is not a complete departure. Apple says Cook will assist with selected company matters as executive chairman, including engagement with policymakers around the world. The arrangement preserves continuity while giving Ternus operating responsibility for the company.
Apple has described the change as the result of a considered, long-term succession process. It also named Johny Srouji to a broader hardware-leadership role in connection with Ternus’s move, according to reporting about the transition.
A farewell event put Cook’s legacy in focus
Unwire reported that Apple recently held a farewell gathering for Cook at Apple Park, attended mainly by employees and several senior figures associated with the company. The report says Cook used the occasion to reflect on his leadership and on his 2014 decision to publicly identify as gay.
Details of the private event—including its guest list, entertainment and Cook’s personal remarks—come from secondary reporting rather than Apple’s formal succession announcement. They should therefore be treated as reported accounts, not company-confirmed elements of the leadership change.
Cook’s 2014 public essay made him one of the most prominent openly gay executives in global business. The Unwire account says he reiterated at the farewell event that he had no regrets about coming out and briefly referred to his partner by name.
What changes on September 1
The most immediate shift is organisational: Ternus assumes day-to-day executive authority while Cook moves to the board leadership role. Product strategy under the new CEO will take time to become visible because Apple’s major devices and silicon platforms are planned years in advance.
Ternus’s background suggests hardware integration, reliability and long product-development cycles will remain central. Cook’s continued involvement, meanwhile, reduces the likelihood of an abrupt break in Apple’s government, supply-chain and institutional relationships.
Sources: Apple Newsroom and Unwire.
