Tim Cook steps back as Apple appoints hardware chief as new CEO

Apple, 1 of the world’s astir invaluable companies, is getting a caller main executive, marking a caller section successful the communicative of what has go arguably the astir influential institution successful user technology.

The Cupertino, Calif., smartphone shaper said Monday that John Ternus, elder vice president of hardware engineering, volition go Apple’s main enforcement connected Sept. 1.

Tim Cook, who has served arsenic main enforcement for astir 15 years, volition go enforcement president of the company’s committee of directors, the institution said. He was agelong expected to measurement down soon.

Under Cook’s leadership, Apple’s marketplace capitalization grew to $4 trillion from astir $350 billion, according to the company. Its gross ballooned from $108 cardinal successful fiscal twelvemonth 2011 to much than $416 cardinal successful fiscal twelvemonth 2025.

Apple besides expanded its concern nether Cook’s tenure, including its beingness successful amusement with Apple TV and Apple Music. People besides usage different services specified arsenic Apple Pay and iCloud to store their photos, videos and different content.

The enactment modulation ushers successful a caller epoch for Apple, which turned 50 years aged successful April. The institution has revolutionized technology, selling fashionable user electronics including iPhones and smartwatches.

But Apple has lagged down arsenic its rivals specified arsenic OpenAI, Google, Meta and much determination rapidly to predominate the artificial quality race. It has besides had to grapple with tariffs and disapproval for manufacturing its products successful different countries, specified arsenic China and India, during President Trump’s 2nd term.

“These volition beryllium large shoes to capable and the timing of Cook exiting signifier near arsenic CEO could marque consciousness but besides creates questions. Apple is making a large modulation connected its AI strategy, and longtime CEO and legendary Cook leaving present is simply a surprise,” Dan Ives, an expert with Wedbush Securities, said successful a statement.

In a statement, Cook expressed gratitude for his clip starring Apple. The 65-year-old succeeded main enforcement and co-founder Steve Jobs successful 2011 aft helium passed distant from pancreatic cancer.

“John Ternus has the caput of an engineer, the psyche of an innovator, and the bosom to pb with integrity and with honor,” Cook said successful a statement. “He is simply a visionary whose contributions to Apple implicit 25 years are already excessively galore to count, and helium is without question the close idiosyncratic to pb Apple into the future.”

Ternus was wide expected to beryllium adjacent successful enactment arsenic main executive.

In a statement, helium said he’s worked astatine Apple for astir his full career, including nether Jobs. He described Cook, who volition enactment with him during the transition, arsenic his mentor.

“I americium humbled to measurement into this role, and I committedness to pb with the values and imaginativeness that person travel to specify this peculiar spot for fractional a century,” Ternus said successful a statement.

Ternus has served arsenic Apple’s elder vice president of hardware engineering since 2021, moving connected caller products specified arsenic the iPad and AirPods. Before that role, helium was connected Apple’s merchandise plan squad successful 2001 earlier becoming vice president of hardware engineering successful 2013, according to the company.

“Ternus’s enactment connected Mac has helped the class go much almighty and much fashionable globally than astatine immoderate clip successful its 40-year history,” Apple said successful its quality merchandise astir the transition.

In the fiscal twelvemonth ending successful September, Apple reported gross of $416 cardinal and a nett income of $112 billion. Worldwide, determination are much than 2.5 cardinal progressive Apple devices.

Apple’s banal was down little than 1% successful aboriginal after-hours trading, changing hands astatine astir $271 a share.