Apple names John Ternus CEO as Tim Cook moves to executive chairman

Apple’s board has unanimously approved a leadership transition effective September 1, 2026: Tim Cook steps aside as CEO to become executive chairman, and hardware engineering chief John Ternus takes the top job. Cook will stay on through the summer to hand off, then focus on policymaker engagement from the chairman seat. Arthur Levinson moves from non-executive chairman to lead independent director, and Ternus joins the board.

Ternus, a 25-year Apple veteran who joined product design in 2001 and the executive team in 2021, has owned hardware engineering across iPhone, Mac, iPad, and AirPods, including the recent iPhone 17 lineup, iPhone Air, and MacBook Neo. His background signals continuity of Apple’s vertically integrated hardware strategy and the Apple silicon trajectory rather than a pivot.

The handover caps Cook’s 15-year run, during which Apple’s market cap climbed from roughly $350B to $4T, revenue nearly quadrupled to $416B, Services grew into a $100B+ business, and privacy became a stated product pillar. Installing an engineer rather than an operator at the helm is the notable signal — Apple is betting its next chapter is won on hardware and silicon execution, not operational scale.