Apple has just announced two historic changes at the top of the company via press releases: John Ternus will take over the position of CEO from Tim Cook in the near future – and Johny Srouji will take over complete hardware development from Ternus with immediate effect. John Ternus from 1.9. new Apple CEO
According to Apple, the change in the CEO position will take place on September 1, 2026 and until then, Cook (born in 1960) and Ternus (born in 1975) will work closely together to make the transition as smooth as possible. Also on September 1st, Ternus will also get a seat on Apple’s board. Hardware boss John Ternus has long been considered a possible successor to Cook – but there was often speculation as to whether Cook would remain in office at least until 2027 or 2028. However, Cook is not leaving the group, but will become Chairman of the Board of Directors in September 2026, taking over this post from Arthur Levinson.
15 years of Tim Cook
Cook has worked at Apple since 1998 and took over leadership of the company from Steve Jobs in 2011. It is often said that Apple has “grown up” under Cook’s leadership. Tim Cook undoubtedly made Apple a global corporation, as under his reign the stock market value rose from $350 billion to $4 trillion. Also notable is the increase in sales from $108 billion in 2011 to $416 billion in 2025. Under Cook’s leadership, Apple presented the Watch, AirPods, Vision Pro, Apple Pay, Apple TV, Apple Music and expanded the service division into a $100 billion business. Cook also successfully led Apple through various crises, such as the corona pandemic.
Ternus has been with Apple since 2001
John Ternus, the new Apple CEO from September 1, 2026, joined the group in 2001. One of his first tasks was the development of what was then known as the Apple Cinema Display. In 2013, Ternus was given responsibility for the hardware development of the AirPods, the Mac and the iPad. In 2021, he finally took over management of the entire hardware department at Apple, including the iPhone, replacing Dan Riccio at the time.
Johny Srouji replaces Ternus
With immediate effect, Johny Srouji, former head of chip development at Apple, will be head of the entire hardware division, replacing Ternus in this important post. Apple is likely to make this change immediately so that Ternus can adequately prepare for his new role in September. The success story of Apple chips is very closely intertwined with Srouji, as the Israeli led the development of Apple’s first System-On-A-Chip, the Apple A4. Apple’s A and M chips are considered the benchmark for the entire industry in terms of efficiency and performance.
Effects?
In the press release, Apple writes that the change at the top was planned long in advance. Still, Ternus has big shoes to fill, because from a purely business perspective, Cook’s leadership over the past 15 years has been exemplary. It is not expected that the change in leadership will result in major changes in the coming months or years. However, it is often heard that, despite his economic success, Tim Cook lacks the enthusiasm and attention to detail of Steve Jobs when it comes to his own products – and here the hope lies with Ternus that he is a little more of a “product guy” than Cook.
