Overview
- The Financial Times reports Apple’s board and top executives are actively discussing succession with a tentative early‑2026 window that could still shift.
- Hardware chief John Ternus is viewed internally as the leading candidate to succeed Tim Cook, having led hardware engineering at Apple since joining in 2001.
- Apple has not commented on the reports, and several watchers, including Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, question whether a change is imminent.
- The potential move is described as unrelated to performance, with Apple posting 8% revenue growth to $102.5 billion and forecasting a record holiday quarter.
- Separately, longtime COO Jeff Williams has retired, and responsibilities have been redistributed, including Apple Watch hardware oversight moving to Ternus.