Apple has entered a new era of leadership, with Tim Cook stepping down as chief executive officer and John Ternus taking over the company’s top position.
Cook, who joined Apple in 1998, became CEO in 2011 after Steve Jobs resigned due to health concerns. During his tenure, Cook oversaw Apple’s expansion into one of the world’s most valuable technology companies, while guiding the development and launch of multiple generations of the iPhone, Apple Watch, AirPods and other products.
The iPhone 5, iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c were among the last iPhone models developed with oversight from Jobs. Although Jobs died shortly after the unveiling of the iPhone 4s, his influence reportedly continued during the development of the following iPhone generation. Apple’s products released afterward were developed under Cook’s leadership.
John Ternus moves into the CEO role after serving as Apple’s Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering. In that position, he led hardware engineering teams responsible for major Apple products, including the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, AirPods and Apple Vision Pro.
Ternus is widely associated with Apple’s hardware operations and has played a key role in the development of several major products. His appointment signals a leadership transition toward an executive with extensive experience in product engineering at a time when Apple continues to expand its hardware ecosystem.
Tim Cook will remain connected with Apple as executive chairman.
In a farewell message shared before leaving the CEO position, Cook thanked the Apple community and said that although his title was changing, his appreciation and connection with the company would remain unchanged.
The leadership transition marks one of the biggest changes at Apple since Cook succeeded Steve Jobs more than a decade ago. Ternus now takes responsibility for leading the technology giant through its next phase, which could include further expansion in artificial intelligence, wearable technology, mixed reality and new hardware categories.