In a surprise announcement on Monday afternoon, Apple announced that Tim Cook will step down as CEO on September 1, 2026, and John Ternus, current Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, will take over. Cook will remain at Apple in an advisory role as executive chairman of Apple’s board of directors.
It has been rumored that Tim Cook was considering retirement, but the timing of the announcement is surprising. Apple says the decision “follows a thoughtful, long-term succession planning process,” and Cook will work closely with Ternus on a “smooth transition.” In a statement, Cook said:
I love Apple with all of my being, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with a team of such ingenious, innovative, creative, and deeply caring people who have been unwavering in their dedication to enriching the lives of our customers and creating the best products and services in the world.
John Ternus has the mind of an engineer, the soul of an innovator, and the heart to lead with integrity and with honor. He is a visionary whose contributions to Apple over 25 years are already too numerous to count, and he is without question the right person to lead Apple into the future. I could not be more confident in his abilities and his character, and I look forward to working closely with him on this transition and in my new role as executive chairman.
In a tandem announcement, Apple also announced that Johny Srouji will take over Ternus’s role as Apple’s Chief Hardware Officer.
Tim Cook’s retirement from the CEO position has been rumored for some time, with most sources saying that Ternus was the favored choice to succeed him. The timing, however, is a bit sooner than most had anticipated. The broad expectation was that Cook would remain as CEO until at least 2027, giving the company time to release the long-overdue Siri overhaul and multiple smart home products and accessories that rely on it.
Releasing smart glasses, a smart home hub, and fixing Apple’s current biggest software/services problem (Siri) would allow Cook to retire on a high note and give his successor something to build on. Instead, it appears that the flood of products expected in late 2026 and early 2027, from a massive Siri update to the first touchscreen MacBook, will allow Ternus to begin his tenure with an Apple that is already starting a new chapter.
Letters from Cook and Ternus
Tim Cook marked the occasion with a letter to the Apple Community. You, the users, not the employees or stockholders.
It is too long to quote in its entirety here, but most of it simply says that John Ternus will be an incredible CEO and make Apple better than ever, as you would expect. But he ends it with a nice thank-you to the Apple community for the kind way it has treated him:
This is not goodbye. But at this moment of transition, I wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you. Not on behalf of the company, this time, though there is a wellspring of gratitude for you that overflows inside our walls. But simply on behalf of me. Tim. A person who grew up in a rural place in a different time and, for these magical moments, got to be the CEO of the greatest company in the world. Thank you for the confidence and kindness you’ve shown me. Thank you for saying hi to me on the street and in our stores. Thank you for cheering alongside me when we unveiled a new product or service. Thank you, most of all, for believing in me to lead the company that has always put you at the center of our work. Every day we get up and think about what we can do to make your life a little bit better. And every day, you’ve made mine the best I could have asked for.
Of course, both Tim Cook and John Ternus issued memos to the Apple staff. Bloomberg obtained a copy of those memos. In Cook’s memo, he shares:
Throughout the many years I’ve worked with him, and our many conversations about his becoming Apple’s next CEO, John’s passion and love for Apple shine through. He is a visionary in his own right, a man of remarkable integrity, and the kind of person we can all be proud to follow. John is the right leader to help us innovate into the future, to help us break new ground on big ideas and bold new pathways, and to ensure that the values that have made us so successful and so admired for the past 50 years will remain the core of our identity and our culture in the decades to come.
And in Ternus’ memo, he says:
As part of my transition to CEO, starting today, I will be stepping away from my role as head of hardware engineering. And I’m proud to announce that Tom Marieb will become the new leader of the organization. In that role, Tom’s responsibility will be to deliver on executing a truly amazing road map. He will report to Johny Srouji, who is such a talented leader and is taking on an expanded role of Chief Hardware Officer, which will allow us to work even more closely together with the hardware technologies team.