John Ternus as New Apple CEO: AI Challenges and Tim Cook's Legacy

WASHINGTON, KOMPAS.com - Apple is entering a new chapter in leadership with the appointment of John Ternus as CEO, replacing Tim Cook. John Ternus will be Apple’s eighth CEO, having built a 25-year career at the company. Uniquely, he began his time at Apple with some hesitation. As a student, he balanced his studies with competitive swimming at university. After graduating, he worked as an engineer at Virtual Research, an early company developing virtual reality headsets. He joined Apple in 2001 as an engineer on the design team. “I wasn’t sure if I belonged there,” he said, quoted from CNBC on Wednesday (22/4/2026). “The people I met were very smart and confident, and they knew far more than I did, but I’ll always be grateful that I wasn’t afraid to ask for help when I needed it,” Ternus revealed.