The Cupertino giant is preparing to undergo one of the most significant leadership handovers in recent years. Apple has officially announced that Tim Cook will step down as CEO as of September 1, 2026, handing the reins of the company to John Ternus, current Senior Vice President of the Hardware Engineering division.
The transition, unanimously approved by the board of directors, does not represent a definitive farewell for Cook, who will assume the role of Executive Chairman, ensuring continuity and strategic support for the new leadership.
The new leadership structure and Tim Cook’s legacy: what will change for Apple starting in September
The transition has been meticulously planned to ensure operational and financial stability. During the summer of 2026, Cook will work closely with Ternus to facilitate the handover, focusing subsequently on his new role as Executive Chairman.
The legacy Cook leaves as CEO is impressive: under his leadership, which began in 2011, Apple has moved from a market capitalization of around $350 billion to the incredible figure of $4 trillion. Beyond the numbers, his tenure has been characterized by the launch of iconic product categories such as the Apple Watch, AirPods, and the Vision Pro headset, as well as the essential transition to the company’s own Apple Silicon chips also in Macs.
The new CEO, John Ternus, is not a new face in Cupertino, having joined the product design team in 2001. Described by Cook as a visionary with an engineer’s mind and an innovator’s soul, Ternus has overseen the hardware development of pivotal products such as the iPad and several generations of iPhone and Mac.
More recently, his team oversaw the launch of the new MacBook Neo and the iPhone 17 line, which includes the ultra-thin iPhone Air model. Ternus has also steered the company toward ambitious sustainability goals, introducing manufacturing techniques that use recycled aluminum and 3D-printed titanium, as seen in the Apple Watch Ultra 3.
Parallel to Ternus’s appointment, the leadership lineup will see other notable changes. Johny Srouji, formerly head of hardware technologies, has been named Chief Hardware Officer with immediate effect, taking over the engineering division previously led by Ternus. At the same time, Arthur Levinson, who has served as non-executive chairman for fifteen years, will become lead independent director starting in September.
