Tim Cook Officially Steps Down; Here is Apple's Future Under New CEO
Tim Cook has officially stepped down from his position as CEO of Apple, a role he has held for the past 15 years, effective 1 September 2026. The top position in the company has now been handed to John Ternus, the former Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering.
Through his X account, Tim Cook shared his farewell, expressing gratitude and ensuring his affection for the Apple community remains unchanged. “Warm regards to the Apple community on my last day as CEO. My role will change tomorrow, but my love for the Apple community will never change. Thank you for being an endless source of inspiration. I am very grateful and excited to welcome this new chapter,” he wrote.
Tim Cook will not leave Apple entirely after relinquishing the CEO role. The 65-year-old will take on a new responsibility as the company’s executive chairman.
Ternus joined Apple in 2001. Starting his career in Apple’s design team, his most recent position was within the hardware unit, reporting directly to Tim Cook. He is the figure who led the engineering teams behind Apple’s entire main product line.
Dan Ives, Partner and Senior Managing Director at investment firm Wedbush Securities, noted that Tim Cook is leaving the company in an extremely orderly state. According to him, Ternus will continue the leadership relay with a different focus, namely on artificial intelligence (AI) technology. “But now it is about Ternus defining the AI chapter,” he said, as quoted by the New Straits Times on Tuesday (1/9/2026).
The supply chain established by Tim Cook is likely to be maintained. Under his successor’s leadership, Ives predicts that Ternus will focus more on hardware innovation. The New Straits Times reported that Ternus is praised internally for his efforts in creating more durable, reliable, and robust products, including designs focused on reducing carbon footprints.
However, the next question is what kind of leader Ternus will prove to be as CEO. Creative Strategies analyst Carolina Milanesi noted that many recognise Ternus not as a CEO figure. “You might know him as the head of engineering, but as CEO, everything changes. Greater responsibility, greater power. You play a different role,” Milanesi remarked.
The annual event for the launch of the latest iPhone on 9 September 2026 is likely to serve as the debut stage for Ternus as Apple’s new leader.
Apple’s AI position is the most crucial issue inherited by Ternus. The company faces sharp criticism over the delayed overhaul of Siri and its slow steps in generative AI, which led to leadership changes in the AI division and the decision to rebuild Siri using Google’s Gemini technology as its foundation. The full-scale implementation of the new Siri is scheduled for this coming September, with early reviews reported as positive by Bloomberg.
In his final earnings call as CEO, Cook described Apple’s ability to process AI workloads directly on-device as a strategic advantage over competitors who rely on the cloud, stating that the company sees “extraordinary opportunities” in the future of AI.
Regarding supply chain and financial challenges—areas that formed the foundation of Cook’s reputation—Ternus is expected to rely on Chief Operating Officer (COO) Sabih Khan and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Kevan Parekh rather than managing these issues directly.
Apple also faces significant challenges as the world deals with a persistent crisis in memory chip and storage shortages. The company has cited this crisis as a trigger for price increases in several recent product lines, an issue they do not expect to be resolved before next year.