Apple has entered a new leadership era as John Ternus takes over as chief executive officer from Tim Cook. Ternus assumed the role on September 1, 2026, ending Cook’s nearly 15-year tenure at the helm of the iPhone maker. Cook has moved to the position of executive chairman of Apple’s board.
Ternus has been working with Apple for more than two decades now, joining the company in 2001. He joined Apple in 2001 and rose through its hardware engineering organisation before becoming senior vice president of Hardware Engineering in 2021. In that role, he reported directly to Cook and led teams working across Apple's major hardware products.
The newly appointed CEO graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering. Prior to his employment at Apple, Ternus had been a mechanical engineer at Virtual Research Systems, working in the design of virtual reality headsets.
Ternus' appointment points to continuity and not a dramatic change in Apple's leadership philosophy. The tech giant’s board unanimously approved the succession plan following a long-term process. Apple highlighted his leadership, technical expertise and product focus when announcing the transition.
His engineering background also distinguishes him from Cook, whose career at Apple was closely associated with operations, supply-chain management and the expansion of services. Artificial intelligence remains one of the company's biggest strategic challenges as rivals such as Google and OpenAI push rapidly into generative AI and AI-powered assistants. Looking ahead, Ternus takes charge at a crucial time for Apple.
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