John Ternus named Apple CEO as Tim Cook transitions roles

Apple said John Ternus will become chief executive on September 1, 2026, and Tim Cook will move to executive chairman. (apple.com) The board approved the change unanimously, and Ternus will also join Apple’s board when he takes the top job. Arthur Levinson will remain on the board as lead independent director. (apple.com) (cnbc.com) Ternus is Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, a role that put him over the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and AirPods hardware teams. He joined Apple in 2001 after working as a mechanical engineer at Virtual Research Systems. (apple.com) Apple reshuffled the hardware organization the same day. Johny Srouji, previously senior vice president of Hardware Technologies, became chief hardware officer effective immediately and took over the hardware engineering group Ternus had led. (apple.com) Cook became Apple chief executive in August 2011 after Steve Jobs resigned. Apple said he will stay in the CEO role through the summer to work with Ternus on the transition. (apple.com) Under Cook, Apple expanded from the iPhone, iPad and Mac into products including Apple Watch, AirPods and Vision Pro, while building a large services business around the App Store, Apple Music, iCloud and subscriptions. (apple.com 1) (apple.com 2) Bloomberg reported that Ternus is inheriting a product pipeline that includes a foldable iPhone expected in September and internal plans to expand services and Apple’s artificial intelligence push. Apple has not announced those products or plans publicly. (bloomberg.com) That leaves Apple’s public message focused on continuity: an internal successor, a board-backed handoff, and a management reshuffle that keeps longtime executives in place ahead of the September changeover. (apple.com 1) (apple.com 2)