Tim Cook ready to step down as Apple CEO

Apple CEO Tim Cook is ready to transition out of the CEO responsibilities after 15 years.

On September 1, 2026, Cook will hand the CEO duties to John Ternus, who leads the department of hardware engineering at Apple. However, he will perform his duties as the company’s executive chairman in Cupertino, California.

Cook became the CEO at the multinational technology company after the death of Steve Jobs in 2011.

He posted a letter on the company’s website that reads, “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, 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,” he added.

Notably, many believe Cook could not meet the vision Jobs had for Apple, but he gave the company remarkable success using iPhone’s popularity. This incredible success comes after the company was close to bankruptcy in the mid-1990s.

It is pertinent to mention that Ternus, who started serving as senior vice president of hardware engineering in 2021, played a key role in launching products such as MacBook, Apple Watch, iPhone, iPad, and AirPods.