- Apple is about to undergo its biggest leadership shakeup in years
- Tim Cook will step down in September after 15 years at the helm
- Incoming CEO John Ternus is a longtime veteran of the company
Apple tapped company veteran John Ternus to succeed Tim Cook as CEO, as the longtime chief prepares to step back at the end of summer.
Ternus, who has been with the company for 25 years, will take the reins on September 1. Cook will transition to a role as executive chairman of Apple’s board of directors.
“John Ternus has the mind of an engineer, the soul of an innovator, and the heart to lead with integrity and with honor,” Cook said in a statement announcing the move. “He is a visionary whose contributions to Apple over 25 years are already too numerous to count, and he is without question the right person to lead Apple into the future.”
Ternus joined Apple in 2001, and he served as VP of Hardware Engineering from 2013 to 2021 before being promoted to SVP of Hardware Engineering. He has been involved in the launch of well-known products including the iPad and AirPods, as well as generational upgrades of the iPhone, Mac and Apple Watch.
Johny Srouji, who most recently served as Apple's SVP of Hardware Technologies, was also appointed Apple's chief hardware officer, effectively filling Ternus' old role with added responsibilities.
“I believe that Apple is following a very strategic and wise course,” Mobile Experts Founder and President Joe Madden told Fierce. “Any other company would have chosen an AI expert, in an effort to pump up the stock price. But Apple is not following the fashion on Wall Street—they are following their own view of how the world will evolve and how they can create value.”
Moor Insights and Strategy Principal Analyst Anshel Sag noted that the transition has been well-telegraphed but will still be an interesting shift.
"Putting a hardware guy in charge of Apple should be very interesting, but I believe it will be a net positive for the company's innovation," he wrote on LinkedIn. "I think this also solves Apple's need to promote Johny Srouji to a more prominent role."
Sag added in comments to Fierce that Ternus is "clearly another long-term pick who is already deeply integrated into Apple's culture and enjoys strong trust and respect within the organization and the broader industry. If anything, I think this signals that Apple will continue to invest in hardware and hopefully it means we'll get 5G in the Mac fairly soon."
Cook was appointed Apple CEO in August 2011, after having spent six years as the company’s COO. He has been with Apple since 1998.