CUPERTINO, United States – John Ternus has officially assumed office as the Chief Executive Officer of Apple Inc., inaugurating a new leadership chapter for the global technology company as Tim Cook formally transitions into the role of Executive Chairman on Tuesday, September 1, 2026.
The effective date marks the formal completion of Apple’s long-term succession blueprint, which was unanimously ratified by the company’s board of directors in April 2026 to ensure operational stability and strategic continuity across its multi-trillion-dollar consumer electronics and digital services ecosystem.
Okay News reports that Apple updated its executive leadership registry on Tuesday morning, reflecting Ternus’ appointment as CEO and his concurrent induction into the company’s board of directors, while Arthur Levinson transitioned from non-executive chairman to lead independent director.
Ternus, who joined Apple in 2001 and previously served as Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, brings a quarter-century of technical expertise to the helm, having overseen the engineering architecture of the iPhone, iPad, AirPods, and the historic Mac transition to proprietary Apple Silicon processors.
Stepping into the top executive position, Ternus acknowledged the profound institutional heritage of leading the Silicon Valley giant, having worked under co-founder Steve Jobs and served as a key executive deputy to Cook throughout Apple’s modern expansion.
“I am profoundly grateful for this opportunity to carry Apple’s mission forward,” Ternus stated during the transition rollout. “Having spent almost my entire career at Apple, I have been lucky to have worked under Steve Jobs and to have had Tim Cook as my mentor. I am humbled to step into this role, and I promise to lead with the values and vision that have come to define this special place for half a century.”
Cook, who published a farewell message to the worldwide Apple community on Monday concluding his 15-year tenure as CEO, commended Ternus as a visionary leader equipped with the technical depth and integrity required to steer Apple into its next computational era.
“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. “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.”
Under Cook’s stewardship between August 2011 and August 2026, Apple expanded its market capitalization from approximately $350 billion to nearly $4 trillion, launched groundbreaking categories including Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro, and scaled its active global installed base beyond 2.5 billion devices.
In his new capacity as Executive Chairman, Cook will continue to collaborate closely with Ternus, maintain oversight of core institutional priorities, and represent Apple in high-level engagements with global policymakers and industry partners.
