After leading Apple for more than 15 years, Tim Cook has announced his resignation as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), closing the chapter of a leader who not only inherited the legacy of Apple’s founder Steve Jobs but also played a key role in growing Apple into one of the most influential and profitable companies worldwide.
Tim Cook will transition to the role of Executive Chairman, while John Ternus, Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, will become Apple’s next CEO, effective from 1 September 2026. Cook will work closely during the transition period and continue to oversee certain company responsibilities, particularly engaging with global policymakers.
Tim Cook joined Apple in 1998 as head of global supply chain and operations before rising to CEO in 2011, shortly after the company lost Steve Jobs.
When he took the helm, many questioned whether an "operations expert" could successfully lead an innovation-driven tech company like Apple. Cook’s answer was to transform Apple from a company known for computers and smartphones into a Silicon Valley technology powerhouse, becoming one of the world’s key economic engines.
Apple became the first publicly traded company to reach a $1 trillion market valuation, continuing to grow and setting new records with a current market value around $4 trillion—more than 10 times its previous size—with over 2.5 billion active devices and business expansion into more than 200 countries worldwide.
Among Cook’s notable achievements is spearheading new influential product categories: the Apple Watch became the world’s best-selling watch, AirPods defined the wireless earbud market, and most recently, Apple Vision Pro represents an effort to usher in the era of Spatial Computing.
A key strategy of his was building an ecosystem difficult to replicate by linking devices and services—from iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch to AirPods—alongside services like iCloud, Apple Music, Apple TV, and Apple Pay. This model transformed Apple from a hardware vendor to a platform generating continuous revenue and fostering strong user loyalty.
What sets Cook apart from other tech leaders is his role beyond products: he is not just an executive but also a global negotiator. He is one of the few CEOs balancing the intersection of technology and politics.
This includes negotiating with the U.S. and Chinese governments—Apple’s largest manufacturing and non-U.S. markets—to maintain supply chains, as well as advocating on critical issues like user privacy and environmental sustainability, significantly reducing Apple’s carbon footprint.
Although Apple under Cook has grown tremendously, critics question the lack of groundbreaking innovation akin to the iPhone era under Jobs. Some projects have faltered, such as the autonomous Apple Car program’s discontinuation and the limited market success of Vision Pro (a VR headset). Recently, Apple has also faced criticism for delays in entering the AI arena, with initiatives like Apple Intelligence and the new Siri development still struggling to meet expectations.
Nevertheless, overall, Cook has continued the disciplined growth strategy begun in Jobs’s era, reducing business volatility. Under his leadership, Apple has become a large, financially stable technology company consistently meeting global consumer expectations.
In summary, over 15 years, Cook has achieved remarkable results, making Apple not only one of the most structurally robust organizations in history but also a global player influencing both the economy and public policy.
His departure is not the end of an era but a passing of the strongest Apple to the next generation leader. John Ternus, Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering. A key figure driving Apple’s products behind the scenes for over 20 years, the transition from Tim Cook to John Ternus is closely watched as a potential shift in Apple’s organizational leadership style into a new era.
Ternus, aged 50, is a true Apple insider who joined in 2001 as part of the product design team before advancing to VP of Hardware Engineering in 2013 and joining the executive team in 2021. Over two decades, he has been involved in developing nearly every product line including iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch, as well as launching new products like AirPods and the MacBook Neo, reflecting his core philosophy of “making technology more accessible without compromising quality.”
He was also instrumental in Apple’s major transition to in-house designed chips (Apple Silicon), which today provide a competitive advantage in performance and energy efficiency. Additionally, he has pushed for product durability, new materials, and sustainable design such as using recycled materials and extending device lifespan. These efforts have led Ternus to be seen as a “Product CEO” focused on hardware innovation. The “Product CEO” or hardware-focused CEO. Who will re-emphasize hardware innovation.
This leadership change is not just a succession but also a passing of new challenges to Apple, which may no longer grow as explosively as in the past. The smartphone market is saturating, hardware upgrade cycles are lengthening, and while Services revenue still grows, it faces increasing regulatory pressure worldwide, amid fierce AI competition where Apple currently lags behind rivals.
Source information. Apple. ,Bloomberg.
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