Who is John Ternus, Apple's New CEO Replacing Tim Cook

KOMPAS.com - The era of leadership by one of Silicon Valley’s most successful executives is finally coming to an end. After 15 years at the helm of Apple, guiding it to become a fantastically valuable company, Tim Cook has announced his resignation from the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO). The baton of leadership for the iPhone maker will officially be handed over to John Ternus starting 1 September 2026. Although he will no longer serve as CEO, the 65-year-old will not completely leave Apple. Tim Cook will take on a new role as Executive Chairman on the company’s board of directors and will work alongside Ternus to ensure the transition proceeds as smoothly as possible. This announcement also marks the end of an extraordinary tenure. Tim Cook, who took over the CEO seat from Apple’s late founder Steve Jobs in 2011, has proven successful in dispelling the doubts of many who once underestimated him. Under his steady hand, Apple’s market capitalisation has skyrocketed by more than 1,000%, from around $350 billion to surpassing the massive $4 trillion mark. Not only that, the company’s annual revenue has nearly quadrupled, from $108 billion in 2011 to more than $416 billion in fiscal year 2025. “This has been the greatest privilege of my life to be CEO of Apple and to be entrusted with leading such an extraordinary company,” Cook stated in his official announcement. However, in the innovation kitchen of Cupertino, this University of Pennsylvania Mechanical Engineering graduate is a figure highly respected and long touted as Cook’s heir apparent. Ternus is no “newcomer” at Apple. He has dedicated 25 years of his career to Apple since joining the product design team in 2001. Ternus’s career path to the top of Apple has been remarkably straight and focused. Here is a timeline of his professional journey: This California native graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1997 with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. During university, he was active on the swimming team. His final year project was particularly interesting: he created a mechanically controlled feeder arm operated by head movements to assist quadriplegic patients. This early project seemed like a “prophecy” of his future involvement in Apple’s robotics and smart glasses projects. After graduation, he worked as a mechanical engineer at a startup called Virtual Research Systems, where he designed VR headsets and accessories.