John Ternus succeeds Tim Cook as Apple CEO: What we can expect

Published: 2026-04-21 10:54:10 ET AAPL

Published on 04/21/2026 at 10:54 am EDT

Key takeaways

From September, Tim Cook will hand over the CEO baton to John Ternus, currently senior vice president of Hardware Engineering. Apple announced the move on Monday. Ternus’s appointment was unanimously approved by the board of directors and triggered a modest uptick in Apple Inc.’s share price.

Who is John Ternus?

Ternus is a mechanical engineer and joined Apple in 2001 – in other words, a seasoned Apple veteran. Since coming on board, he has played a crucial role in the development of groundbreaking products across all categories. Among other things, he worked on the introduction of products such as the iPad and AirPods. In 2013 he became vice president of Hardware Engineering and later joined the company’s executive team. Ternus led the development of the recently revamped iPhone 17 and is closely involved in the development of the latest MacBooks. Johny Srouji will take over his current position.

No farewell to Cook

Although the 66-year-old Cook is retiring as CEO, he will not disappear from the scene. He will take on the role of chair of the board of directors. He will remain CEO until 1 September and will work with John Ternus to ensure a smooth leadership transition. Current chair Arthur Levinson will move into the role of independent director. Ternus will also join the board of directors on 1 September 2026.

As executive chair, Cook will maintain relations with policymakers around the world. In a statement, he expressed his immense gratitude for his time as CEO and underlined his deep affection for the innovation and drive of everyone at Apple.

What does this transition mean for Apple?

The change at the top marks the end of an era under Cook, who succeeded founder Steve Jobs as CEO in 2011. Under Cook, Apple reached a market value of almost 4 trillion dollars (3.4 trillion euros). Analysts expect that Ternus, with his more technical background in Apple’s hardware and product development, will put the emphasis on future technologies such as artificial intelligence, augmented reality and an even tighter integration of hardware and software.

After the first reports of Cook’s retirement in November last year, Apple’s shares took a hit on the stock market, although they eventually climbed back up. The confirmation of Cook’s departure and the simultaneous introduction of his successor last Monday led to a slight increase of 1.04 per cent. Shareholders, too, clearly have confidence in Ternus.

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