Apple elevates John Ternus to CEO

Apple said on April 20 that John Ternus will become chief executive on September 1, 2026, and Tim Cook will become executive chairman. (apple.com) Ternus is Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, and the company said the board approved the succession plan unanimously. Cook will stay on as chief executive through the summer to work with Ternus on the transition. (apple.com) (businesswire.com) Apple also said Ternus will join its board on September 1, while Arthur Levinson, the company’s nonexecutive chairman for 15 years, will become lead independent director. (apple.com) (cnbc.com) The change is Apple’s first chief executive transition since 2011, when Cook succeeded Steve Jobs. CNBC reported Ternus will become Apple’s eighth chief executive. (cnbc.com) (techcrunch.com) Cook has led Apple through a stretch in which its market value rose more than 20-fold, closing at $4 trillion on April 20, according to CNBC. Apple said Cook will keep handling some company matters as chairman, including work with policymakers around the world. (cnbc.com) (apple.com) Ternus joined Apple’s product design team in 2001, became vice president of hardware engineering in 2013, and was promoted to senior vice president in 2021. Apple says he has worked across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, AirPods, and other devices. (apple.com) (techcrunch.com) Cook said Ternus has “the mind of an engineer” and called him “without question the right person” to lead Apple. Ternus said he had worked under Steve Jobs and had Cook as a mentor. (apple.com) Apple paired the chief executive announcement with a hardware leadership reshuffle. CNBC reported Johny Srouji will become chief hardware officer and also lead hardware engineering in an expanded role. (cnbc.com) (9to5mac.com) The handoff closes a 15-year run for Cook and puts a longtime product engineer in charge as Apple enters its first post-Cook chapter. (nbcnews.com) (apple.com)