Tim Cook to step down as Apple chief as John Ternus named replacement

“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. I love Apple with all of my being,” Cook said in a press release.

Cook, 65, who succeeded Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, has been CEO since 2011. With a reputation for operational and supply chain management, he has overseen the global expansion of the company and its steady series of new, updated devices, though never attained the same tech visionary status as Jobs.

Cook’s tenure as CEO has marked a lucrative period of expansion for Apple as it entrenched its products in society and sought out new markets, in particular the iPhone. Apple reported earlier this year it had its best ever quarter for iPhone sales, driven by renewed demand in China.

The tech giant’s yearly profits now top $100bn, and its stock has been on a continued rise for more than a decade. Under his leadership, the company introduced the Apple Watch and its AirPods line of headphones, which Ternus was also involved with on the hardware engineering side. Cook also presided over the launch of services like Apple Music and Apple TV+. The company’s market capitalization grew from around $350bn at the start of Cook’s time to over $4tn today.

A succession plan for Cook has been in the works since at least last year, according to the New York Times. Cook has proven to be a successful political dealmaker in maintaining Apple’s global supply chain, successfully negotiating with Donald Trump and Xi Jinping alike. He will maintain a role at the company that entails “engaging with policymakers around the world,” per Apple’s press release.

Ternus, 50, was viewed as a likely candidate to take over. He has been at the company since 2001. In a statement announcing his new role, he touted working under Jobs and described Cook as a mentor.

Cook said Ternus had “the mind of an engineer and the soul of an innovator”.

In the same press release, Ternus said: “I am humbled to step into this role, and I promise to lead with the values and vision that have come to define this special place for half a century.”

Ternus will inherit an immensely successful company that nevertheless faces increasing questions over its future. Apple has faced close scrutiny in the past year as investors have questioned how it plans to integrate AI into its products. The company has not been as prominent a player in the AI boom as some of its competitors, choosing to sometimes integrate third-party AI tools into its products such as Siri.

Though its core businesses of phone and computer sales remain strong, its new products like the Vision Pro have failed to inspire consumer demand.