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After spending nearly 15 years as the chief executive at Apple, Tim Cook is stepping down to take on the role of executive chairman of Apple’s board of directors on September 1, 2026. John Ternus, who currently serves as Apple’s senior VP of hardware engineering, will take his place. It’s a move that has long been rumored to be in the works, but is now officially confirmed.
“It 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,” Cook said in a statement on Monday, April 20. “I 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.”
Given the timing of the transition, it sounds like Ternus will be leading the charge when it comes to Apple’s hardware slate this fall. For more than a decade, we’ve become accustomed to Cook being the first and last face we see at every Apple event, but with the first foldable iPhone rumored to launch this fall, Ternus will have a chance to be the face of a new generation of products.
