Tim Cook is stepping down as CEO of Apple, handing over the role to hardware boss Ternus

Apple has confirmed a major change in leadership, as CEO Tim Cook will step down later this year. The company announced that John Ternus, currently Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, will assume the role of CEO effective September 1, 2026.

Cook will transition to the role of executive chairman, where he is expected to continue to play a role in guiding Apple’s broader strategy and policy engagement.

Planned Change After 15 Years of Leadership

Cook’s departure marks the end of an important era for Apple. He has led the company since 2011, taking over from co-founder Steve Jobs and overseeing a period of significant growth.

Under Cook, Apple expanded its product portfolio, grew its services business, and became one of the most valuable companies in the world. His leadership style focused on efficiency and sustainable use, helping Apple maintain dominance across multiple product lines.

The transition to Ternus appears to be a carefully planned internal sequence. Ternus has been with Apple for more than two decades and currently leads hardware engineering, playing a key role in the development of products such as the iPhone, Mac, and iPad.

The hardware segment is also getting a shakeup

Now that Ternus is leaving his position as the company’s senior vice president of Hardware Technologies, Apple is nominating another familiar face to follow him. Johny Srouji is now stepping into the position of chief hardware officer.

“He has played an integral role in driving Apple’s silicon strategy, and his influence has been deeply felt not only within the company, but across the industry,” Cook said in a press release. Srouji played a key role in Apple’s transition away from Intel to in-house silicon for the M-series of Mac hardware.

Srouji is an Intel veteran, and recently, it was reported that he was looking at smaller opportunities outside of Apple. He has been at Apple since 2008 and is a regular at Apple product announcements, highlighting next-generation silicon progress, in particular.

Why This Leadership Change Is Important

Leadership changes at Apple are rare and closely watched, given the company’s influence in the global technology industry. This move points to continuity, as Apple has once again chosen an insider with deep institutional knowledge.

Ternus is widely seen as a product-focused executive, which could signal a renewed emphasis on hardware innovation. At the same time, Cook’s continued presence as executive chairman suggests that Apple intends to stabilize itself during the transition.

Time is remarkable. Apple navigates increasing competition in areas such as artificial intelligence, mixed reality, and services, making leadership decisions more critical.

What it means for users and the industry

For consumers, a change in leadership is unlikely to bring immediate disruption. Apple’s product roadmap and ecosystem strategy are expected to remain unchanged in the near term. However, in the long run, Ternus’ leadership style could shape how Apple approaches innovation, especially in hardware and emerging technologies.

His background suggests a strong engineering-driven perspective compared to Cook’s performance-oriented approach. For the wider industry, the switch marks the start of a new chapter for one of the world’s most influential technology companies.

Next

The transition will take place in the coming months, and Cook remains CEO until September 1. During this time, Apple is expected to ensure a smooth handover of responsibilities. If Ternus officially takes over, attention will shift to his priorities — specifically how Apple positions itself in the evolving AI landscape and whether it accelerates its pace of innovation.

While Cook’s tenure helped define Apple’s modern era, the next phase under Ternus will determine how the company adapts to the future of technology.