John Ternus Replaces Tim Cook as Apple’s Chief Executive

Overview

• John Ternus officially became CEO on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, as Tim Cook moved to chairman of Apple’s board after sending a farewell memo to staff.
• The leadership change included internal role shifts reported across outlets with Phil Schiller moving to an Apple Fellow role, Eddy Cue gaining App Store oversight, and Nola Weinstein leading Apple events.
• Ternus inherits an urgent mandate to accelerate Apple’s generative AI work, address delays in Siri and Apple Intelligence, and reduce reliance on outside AI providers.
• The new CEO also faces the ongoing task of diversifying Apple’s manufacturing footprint away from heavy concentration in China toward India and Vietnam without harming margins.
• Cook’s 15-year tenure left Apple much larger and more services-driven, giving Ternus a deep engineering and chip-design foundation to build on as he prepares for a high‑profile public debut at Apple’s September product event.