The nearly 15-year Tim Cook era at Apple has come to an end. John Ternus became CEO on September 1, while Cook became chairman of the board.
Cook, who took over the role following Steve Jobs in 2011, described employees as the source of success and culture and a shared purpose as the legacy in his message to staff. He said he was not leaving Apple and that he trusted Ternus.
During Cook’s tenure, Apple’s market value rose from approximately $350 billion to more than $4 trillion; the iPhone ecosystem expanded with Apple Watch, AirPods, Apple Music, Apple TV+ and iCloud. The supply chain and operations also grew stronger.
Ternus took over amid an agenda focused on artificial intelligence, Apple Intelligence, Siri and diversifying production in China. His first test will be the event at which new iPhones are set to be unveiled on September 9; a foldable iPhone is expected to be announced.
Ternus, 51, joined Apple in 2001 and rose to vice president roles in 2013 and 2021. He led hardware teams, including those working on Apple Vision Pro, and played a role in the transition to Apple Silicon.
Why it matters
The change raises the question of reassessing not only the CEO position at Apple but also the company’s priorities: while the broad product and services ecosystem established under Cook’s leadership remains intact, the issues facing Ternus center on artificial intelligence, Siri, Apple Intelligence and diversifying production. Cook’s remaining as chairman of the board creates a transition framework in which the company’s experience is not entirely lost. Ternus’s background in hardware teams, including Apple Vision Pro and the transition to Apple Silicon, shows that he comes from a profile close to technical decision-making processes. For employees, suppliers and users following the direction of Apple products, the open question is therefore how the new leadership will strike a balance between the existing ecosystem and these priorities.
Background
Apple is not a new name in the FikirPilot archive: in the last 90 days, we have published 15 articles mentioning this name; the latest is dated September 1, 2026.