Tim Cook has been running Apple (as CEO) for 15 years. He’s set to hand the reigns off to John Ternus at the start of September 2026.
Apple announced that Tim Cook will become executive chairman of Apple’s board of directors and John Ternus, senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, will become Apple’s next chief executive officer effective on September 1, 2026.
I think it’s probably a good time for this transition for Apple. Times are changing, and some new ideas and plans might not be a bad idea. Tim oversaw some great products and some relative stinkers. The Apple Car for example, was not really a great success, and the Apple headset isn’t really a master stroke of success, any more than has been Apple Intelligence. On the other hand, the Apple watch was a big hit, and Apple services have done quite well too. It will be interesting if there is something that they’ll be bringing out at or after the transition, such as a folding iPhone, or maybe actually working AI, to mark a new direction for the future.
I hope the change will also bring a change of attitude to laws. At the moment, they stand like a petulant child on the world stage, it isn’t a good look for them.