Apple has announced John Ternus as its new chief executive. Currently head of hardware engineering, Ternus has been with Apple for 25 years and will take up the position to replace Tim Cook, who will move into the executive chairman role following 15 years at the company’s helm.
According to reports, Cook is stepping away following “months of speculation” that the company, which recently celebrated its 50th anniversary, was seeking a successor. He will work with Ternus throughout the summer to “assist with certain aspects of the company, including engaging with policymakers around the world” as the transition takes place.
During has tenure, Ternus has worked on almost all major products Apple has released, including all generations of the iPad, numerous iPhones and the AirPod and Apple Watch launches. Additionally, he oversaw the Mac processor transition from Intel to Apple’s own silicon.
In a statement, Ternus praised Cook as his “mentor” and said, “I am filled with optimism about what we can achieve in the years to come.”
Dipanjan Chatterjee, a principal analyst at Forrester, said the appointment showed Apple is looking for “differentiation” in its product offering, suggesting the new leader “must resist the temptation of incrementalism that has plagued Apple of late and escape the iPhone’s gravitational pull.”
According to the BBC, Timothy Hubbard, a professor at the University of Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business, said Apple’s hesitation to move into AI products marked it apart from companies such as Google, Meta and Microsoft, and that a new boss might herald a deeper integration of AI into its products. “That rapid innovation is where Apple started, and maybe that’s where the company needs to return.”
