CUPERTINO, Calif. — Apple CEO Tim Cook will step down from the company’s top executive role on September 1, 2026, ending a 15-year run leading one of the world’s most influential technology companies. Apple said Cook will become executive chairman of its board, while John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, will become the company’s next chief executive officer.
The leadership transition was approved unanimously by Apple’s board and follows what the company described as a long-term succession planning process. Cook has served as Apple’s CEO since 2011, when he succeeded co-founder Steve Jobs.
Ternus, a longtime Apple executive, has helped lead hardware engineering for major products including the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and AirPods. His appointment signals that Apple’s next era may lean heavily on product development, hardware innovation, artificial intelligence, and the company’s broader ecosystem strategy.
Cook’s tenure reshaped Apple into a global technology powerhouse. Under his leadership, Apple expanded beyond the iPhone into wearables, services, payments, streaming, health technology, and a much larger global supply chain. The Associated Press reported that Apple’s market value rose from about $350 billion when Cook took over to roughly $4 trillion.
The transition comes as Apple faces growing pressure to prove it can compete in artificial intelligence while continuing to protect the privacy-focused brand identity that has defined much of Cook’s leadership. Investors and analysts are expected to watch closely for how Ternus positions Apple in the next phase of consumer technology.
For everyday users, the change is unlikely to alter Apple products immediately. But the move marks the end of a major chapter in modern technology. Cook did not merely inherit Apple after Steve Jobs, he stabilized it, scaled it, and turned it into one of the most valuable companies in history.
The bigger question now is whether Apple’s next leader can do more than protect what Cook built. Ternus will have to show whether Apple can still surprise the world.
