Apple names John Ternus CEO, Cook to Executive Chairman

Apple said Tim Cook will become Executive Chairman and John Ternus will become CEO effective Sept. 1.

Ternus, senior vice president of Apple Hardware Engineering, will work with Cook on the transition. As executive chairman, Cook will engage with policymakers but leave the day-to-day operations to Ternus.

Johny Srouji will become chief hardware officer. Srouji, most recently served as senior vice president of hardware technologies, will take on the engineering duties that Ternus most recently oversaw. Srouji will oversee Apple's chip unit and technologies focused on batteries, cameras, models, displays and other hardware across the product line.

In a statement, Cook said he "could not be more confident" in Ternus' ability to run the company. Cook joined Apple in 1998 and became CEO in 2011 after leading the post Steve Jobs era at Apple. Under Cook, Apple has grown from a market cap of $350 million to $4 trillion. Cook has been able to scale Apple's supply chain, launch the Apple Watch, AirPods and Apple Vision Pro and create a massive services business.

Ternus added:

"Having spent almost my entire career at Apple, I have been lucky to have worked under Steve Jobs and to have had Tim Cook as my mentor. It has been a privilege to help shape the products and experiences that have changed so much of how we interact with the world and with one another. I am filled with optimism about what we can achieve in the years to come."

Ternus will likely play a big role in WWDC 2026, which is widely expected to feature a Siri overhaul.