Tim Cook to step down as Apple CEO, John Ternus to take over

Tim Cook will step down as chief executive of Apple Inc. after more than a decade in the role, the company announced on Monday. He will transition to executive chairman of the board, while continuing as CEO through the summer to ensure a smooth handover.

John Ternus, currently senior vice president of hardware engineering, will take over as CEO from September 1. A longtime Apple executive, Ternus has played a key role in developing products such as the iPad and AirPods.

Cook became CEO in 2011, succeeding Steve Jobs, and led Apple through a period of massive growth, transforming it into a $4 trillion company. Under his leadership, Apple expanded beyond core products like the iPhone into services, wearables, entertainment and health technologies.

He also guided the company through major global challenges, including the COVID-19 and trade tensions during the presidency of Donald Trump.

While Apple achieved major success with products like the Apple Watch and AirPods, its more recent efforts in areas such as virtual reality and artificial intelligence have faced challenges, with products like the Vision Pro seeing limited adoption and delays affecting upgrades to Siri.

Ternus is expected to lead Apple through a critical phase, with upcoming developments in artificial intelligence and new product innovations likely to shape the company’s next chapter.