The Rise of Apple's New CEO: A Hardware Expert Takes Over in the AI Era (7 minute read)
John Ternus, a mechanical engineer who led all of Apple's hardware engineering, will replace Tim Cook as CEO on September 1 after 25 years at the company.
What: John Ternus will become Apple's CEO on September 1, 2026, with current CEO Tim Cook transitioning to executive chairman. Ternus is a hardware engineering veteran who most recently oversaw hardware engineering for all Apple products and previously led the Mac hardware division.
Why it matters: The leadership transition marks Apple's first CEO change in over a decade and raises questions about how a hardware-focused executive will navigate the company through an AI-driven era where software and machine learning capabilities are increasingly critical to product differentiation.
Original article
John Ternus will become Apple's new CEO after a 25 year career on September 1. Current CEO Tim Cook will become executive chairman. Ternus is a mechanical engineer by background and he most recently led hardware engineering for all of Apple's products. This article takes a look at who Ternus is and his history at Apple.