Apple Inc. has announced that John Ternus will take over as CEO starting September 1, marking a major leadership transition at the tech giant. The move will bring an end to Tim Cook’s 15-year tenure as CEO, during which he led Apple through a period of significant growth and innovation. Cook will remain with the company as executive chairman following the transition.
Reflecting on his time at the helm, Tim Cook described the role as deeply meaningful, saying, “It has been the greatest privilege of my life to be the CEO of Apple and to have been trusted to lead such an extraordinary company.” He added, “I love Apple with all of my being… and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with a team… dedicated to enriching the lives of our customers.”
Who Is John Ternus?
John Ternus is a senior technology executive at Apple Inc., currently serving as the company’s Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering. In this role, he reports directly to CEO Tim Cook and oversees all of Apple’s hardware engineering efforts.
The 49-year-old has spent two decades at the tech giant and leads the teams responsible for developing some of Apple’s most important products, including the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, AirPods, and Apple Vision Pro. His work spans across every major hardware category, making him a central figure in shaping Apple’s product ecosystem.
Over the course of his tenure at Apple, Ternus has played a key role in engineering and advancing multiple generations of products. His contributions include work on established product lines such as the Mac, iPhone, and Apple Watch, as well as newer innovations like the iPad and AirPods. His leadership has been tied to the development of several of Apple’s most recognizable and widely used devices.
Before joining Apple, Ternus worked as a mechanical engineer at Virtual Research Systems, gaining early experience in engineering and product development.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, a background that laid the foundation for his career in hardware innovation.
