Tim Cook Stop Rumors: John Ternus may Take Over as Next Apple CEO

As rumors of Tim Cook's retirement circulate, Apple is said to be planning a successor. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple has begun the transition process, with the company's top executive preparing for a leadership change.

Key Highlights

• Apple reportedly preparing for a leadership transition, positioning John Ternus as likely successor.
• Ternus, hardware SVP since 2021, has overseen design of Apple’s major products and growing visibility.

Tim Cook succeeded Steve Jobs as CEO of Apple on August 24, 2021. Cook has been at the helm of Apple for over 14 years, and his departure, if and when it occurs, will be one of the most significant shake-ups in tech company leadership in recent years.

Furthermore, Mark Gurman revealed that Apple has already found a replacement for Cook in the form of John Ternus, Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering. Ternus joined Apple in 2001 and oversaw the design of all major products, including the iPad, iPhone, and Macs. He was appointed vice president in 2021.

Why did Apple choose Joh Ternus?

Ternus' selection as possibly Apple's next CEO comes as other candidates withdraw for a variety of reasons. Jeff Williams, the former COO and a top contender to succeed Cook, left the company in July 2025.

Former marketing chief Phil Schiller and former CFO Luca Maestri have remained with the company in less active roles. While they were initially viewed as potential successors, the company reportedly wants to transition to a more stable leadership structure, which they believe executives who have left cannot provide.

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Johny Srouji, Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies and executive in charge of the company's custom A-series and M-series chips, and John Giannandrea, Apple's senior vice president of machine learning and AI strategy, were also thought to be involved.However, Srouji is said to be "evaluating his future," and the company reportedly plans a more robust role for Giannandrea in the AI department.

It reportedly led Apple to 50-year-old Ternus, who is well-integrated into the company and was the same age as Tim Cook when he took over Apple in 2011.