Apple names John Ternus CEO as Tim Cook steps down in 2026

Apple has chosen John Ternus, its senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, to succeed Tim Cook as chief executive officer, a move that signals continuity at the top but also raises questions about how aggressively the company may lean back toward product-led leadership. The transition, approved unanimously by Apple’s board, will take effect on September 1, 2026, with Cook shifting to executive chairman.

Cook will remain CEO through the summer to help ensure a smooth handoff, and in his new role he will keep a role in key company matters, including engagement with policymakers around the world. That structure suggests Apple wants to preserve the operating discipline that defined Cook’s tenure while gradually changing who sets the pace inside Cupertino. Ternus will also join Apple’s board of directors on September 1, 2026, giving the hardware chief a broader role in governance as well as operations.

Arthur Levinson, who has served as Apple’s non-executive chairman for the past 15 years, will become lead independent director on the same day. Apple’s leadership page has long placed Cook at the center of the company’s executive and board structure, and the new arrangement keeps that model intact even as the face of the company changes. Ternus, whom Apple described as a 25-year veteran, enters the job with deep institutional knowledge and a direct line to the product teams that shape Apple’s core business.

Cook became Apple CEO in August 2011 after Steve Jobs. His nearly 15-year run was defined by scale, logistics and the steady expansion of Apple’s reach across hardware, services and global influence. His own framing of the transition reflected that arc. “Leading the company had been the greatest privilege of his life,” Cook said in Apple’s announcement. Ternus called Cook his mentor and said he was grateful for the opportunity.

The market took notice quickly. Apple shares fell about 1% in after-hours trading after the announcement. That reaction underscored the stakes of the succession: investors are not just watching who takes over, but whether Apple under Ternus keeps the same tightly managed formula or enters a phase where hardware leadership pushes the company toward a more product-centric identity.