Tim Cook Steps Down as Apple's CEO After 15 Years

John Ternus will take his place.

Apple is changing leadership: Tim Cook will retire from his position as the CEO of the company on September 1, becoming executive chairman of its board of directors.

John Ternus, senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, will take over his role, following "a thoughtful, long-term succession planning process." Apple says that Cook will help with various aspects, including "engaging with policymakers around the world."

“It has been the greatest privilege of my life to be the CEO of Apple and to have been trusted to lead such an extraordinary company. I love Apple with all of my being, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with a team of such ingenious, innovative, creative, and deeply caring people who have been unwavering in their dedication to enriching the lives of our customers and creating the best products and services in the world,” said Cook. “John Ternus has the mind of an engineer, the soul of an innovator, and the heart to lead with integrity and with honor. He is a visionary whose contributions to Apple over 25 years are already too numerous to count, and he is without question the right person to lead Apple into the future. I could not be more confident in his abilities and his character, and I look forward to working closely with him on this transition and in my new role as executive chairman.”

Ternus is "filled with optimism" about the future of Apple and promises to lead "with the values and vision that have come to define this special place for half a century."

Ternus will join the board of directors as well, while Arthur Levinson, Apple’s non-executive chairman, will become its lead independent director.

“Tim’s unprecedented and outstanding leadership has transformed Apple into the world’s best company. He’s introduced groundbreaking products and services time and again, and his integrity and values are infused into everything Apple does,” said Levinson. “On behalf of the entire board of directors, we are incredibly grateful for his countless contributions to Apple and the world, and we are thrilled he will now be executive chairman. We believe John is the best possible leader to succeed Tim and as he transitions to CEO we know his love of Apple, his leadership, deep technical knowledge, and relentless focus on creating great products will help lead Apple to an extraordinary future.”

Tim Cook joined Apple in 1998, becoming its CEO in 2011 witnessed and contributed to the creation of various products and services, including Apple Watch, AirPods, Apple Vision Pro, iCloud, Apple Pay, Apple TV, and Apple Music.

"Under Cook’s leadership Apple has grown from a market capitalization of approximately $350 billion to $4 trillion, representing a more than 1,000% increase, and yearly revenue has nearly quadrupled, from $108 billion in fiscal year 2011 to more than $416 billion in fiscal year 2025," says the announcement.

Ternus joined Apple’s product design team in 2001 and became a vice president of Hardware Engineering in 2013 and its senior vice president in 2013. He has overseen hardware engineering work on multiple product lines, including iPad, AirPods, iPhone, Mac, and Apple Watch.

Let's see where his efforts as CEO lead the company.

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