Apple is entering a new era as Tim Cook steps down as chief executive after 15 years at the helm, handing the technology giant's leadership to longtime executive John Ternus.
The transition officially takes effect on 1 September, following unanimous approval by Apple's board of directors. While Cook is leaving the chief executive role, he will remain closely involved in the company as executive chairman, overseeing aspects of Apple's broader strategy and its engagement with policymakers around the world.
The move marks the first CEO transition at Apple since 2011, when Cook succeeded company co-founder Steve Jobs following his death.
Cook leaves behind a company dramatically transformed from the one he inherited.
When he became chief executive, Apple was valued at roughly $350 billion. Today, the company is worth around $4 trillion, making it one of the most valuable businesses in the world.
During his tenure, annual revenue nearly quadrupled to more than $416 billion, while Apple's global presence expanded across more than 200 countries and territories. The company's active installed base has grown to more than 2.5 billion devices, reflecting the scale of Apple's reach.
Beyond the iPhone, Cook oversaw the creation and growth of major product categories including the Apple Watch, AirPods and Vision Pro, while expanding services such as Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Pay and iCloud into a business generating more than $100 billion annually.
Announcing the handover, Cook expressed confidence in Ternus, describing him as the right person to lead Apple into its next phase.
"It has been the greatest privilege of my life to be the CEO of Apple," Cook said, thanking employees for their role in building the company over the past decade and a half.
He described Ternus as "a visionary" whose contributions over more than two decades at Apple had helped shape many of the company's most important products.
Cook said he looked forward to working closely with Ternus during the transition and in his new role as executive chairman.
Ternus is far from an outsider.
He joined Apple's product design team in 2001 and has spent nearly his entire professional career at the company. Over the years, he rose through the engineering organisation before becoming senior vice president of Hardware Engineering and a member of Apple's executive leadership team.
He has played a key role in the development of some of Apple's most successful products, including iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and AirPods.
Ternus has also been closely involved in Apple's transition to its own silicon chips, a move widely seen as one of the company's most significant technological achievements in recent years.
In a statement, Ternus said he felt honoured to take on the role and pledged to continue building on Apple's values and mission.
"I am profoundly grateful for this opportunity to carry Apple's mission forward," he said.
As part of the leadership reshuffle, Arthur Levinson will step down as non-executive chairman after 15 years in the role and become Apple's lead independent director.
Ternus will also join Apple's board of directors.
Levinson praised Cook's contribution to the company, describing his leadership as transformative and crediting him with helping turn Apple into what he called "the world's best company".
He said the board believed Ternus was the strongest possible choice to succeed Cook, citing his technical expertise, leadership abilities and commitment to product development.
Despite Apple's remarkable financial performance, Cook's tenure has not been without criticism.
Some investors and industry observers argue that the company struggled to produce a revolutionary product on the scale of the iPhone during his leadership.
Several high-profile projects failed to meet expectations. Apple's long-running electric vehicle programme was abandoned in 2024, while the launch of Apple Maps shortly after Cook became chief executive proved problematic and led to significant internal upheaval.
More recently, Apple's Vision Pro headset failed to achieve widespread consumer adoption, despite years of development and a highly anticipated launch.
The company has also faced growing scrutiny over its position in artificial intelligence. Rivals including Microsoft, Google and other technology firms have moved aggressively into the sector, while Apple has been criticised for delays in rolling out advanced AI features and modernising Siri.
Although Ternus inherits one of the strongest businesses in the world, he also takes charge at a time of significant change for the technology industry.
Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping the competitive landscape, placing pressure on Apple to demonstrate how it intends to integrate AI more deeply into its products and services.
The company is also continuing efforts to diversify its manufacturing footprint beyond China, while navigating geopolitical tensions, supply-chain challenges and growing competition across multiple product categories.
Investors will be watching closely to see how Ternus balances Apple's tradition of hardware innovation with the demands of an increasingly AI-driven future.
Unlike some leadership changes that follow periods of uncertainty, Apple's succession plan has been years in the making.
Cook will continue working closely with Ternus during the transition before moving into his new position as executive chairman.
After leading Apple through one of the most successful periods in its history, Cook now hands over responsibility to an executive who has spent 25 years helping build the products that define the company.
For Apple, the transition represents not just the end of an era, but the beginning of a new one.
As the Ukraine war is highlighted by some leaders during the United Nations' 81st General Assembly meetin...
11 of 19 Kazakh servicemen swept into the Caspian Sea during military exercises in the Mangystau region have died, Kazakhstan’s Defence ...
Australia says an OpenAI AI agent gained unauthorised access to a government Medicare statistics portal in June, in what officials say could be an ...
As the Ukraine war is highlighted by some leaders during the United Nations' 81st General Assembly meeting in New York, Russian forces attacked the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early on Thursday with ballistic missiles, killing two people and injuring six, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in New York on Wednesday, as Washington pushes for an end to the war in Ukraine and Kyiv and Moscow continue to strike energy infrastructure.
U.S. President Donald Trump is addressing the UN General Assembly as world leaders gather in New York for the 81st session. Conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine, global security and diplomacy set to dominate the event.
U.S. President Donald Trump said his team held a three-hour meeting with an Iranian delegation in New York that he described as “very good” and “productive”, with another round of talks scheduled soon.
The 81st UN General Assembly continues in New York on Wednesday, with another day of high-level speeches and diplomatic meetings. The wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, global security and international cooperation remain at the centre of discussions.
Warren Buffett has stepped down as chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, marking the end of one of the most influential leadership tenures in corporate history and completing a succession process that has been years in the making.
Nigerian billionaire Aliko Dangote launched Africa's biggest-ever share sale on Monday, opening the oil refinery that has remade the country's fuel market to public ownership for the first time.
Volkswagen’s supervisory board has approved a major overhaul aimed at cutting 100,000 jobs by 2030 as the German carmaker battles weaker sales, falling profits and intensifying global competition.
Chinese Premier Li Qiang has called on American companies to expand their presence in China and pledged that Beijing would address their "reasonable concerns," as China looks to stabilise trade ties with Washington ahead of President Xi Jinping's planned visit to the U.S. later this month
Volkswagen is heading towards a decisive showdown with labour representatives as Germany's largest carmaker weighs sweeping restructuring measures that could lead to factory closures and tens of thousands of job losses.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment