Apple today announced one of the most significant leadership transitions in its history: John Ternus, the company’s Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, will succeed Tim Cook as Apple’s next Chief Executive Officer. Cook will move into the role of Executive Chairman of the Board of Directors.
In a companion announcement, Apple also named longtime silicon chief Johny Srouji as the company’s first-ever Chief Hardware Officer, a newly created role that brings Apple’s hardware engineering and hardware technologies teams under a single leader.
The transition, approved unanimously by Apple’s Board of Directors, follows what the company describes as a “thoughtful, long-term succession planning process.” The news shouldn’t come as a surprise to people who follow Apple closely. Ternus has been rumored to be the top pick to succeed Cook for months.
Ternus will take the reins effective September 1, at which point he will also join the Apple board of directors. Cook will remain in his role as CEO through the summer, working alongside Ternus to ensure a smooth handoff. As Executive Chairman, Apple says Cook will continue to engage with policymakers around the world and advise on key company matters. Arthur Levinson, who has served as Apple’s non-executive chairman for the past 15 years, will transition to the role of lead independent director when the changes take effect on September 1.
A Hardware Engineer Takes the Helm
John Ternus is, in every sense, an Apple lifer. He joined the company’s product design team in 2001, became a Vice President of Hardware Engineering in 2013, and was elevated to Senior Vice President and Apple’s executive team in 2021.
Over the course of 25 years, he has had a hand in some of the most consequential hardware Apple has ever shipped, from the original iPad and AirPods to the iPhone 17 lineup, the MacBook Neo, and multiple generations of Mac, Apple Watch, and more. He is often credited with the incredible state of the current Mac lineup, which is regarded by many as the strongest lineup Apple has ever offered.
Under Ternus’ leadership, the Mac has grown more powerful and more popular than at any point in its 40-year history. His team drove the engineering behind Apple Silicon’s transition, the chips that redefined what a laptop could do for power, efficiency, and longevity. More recently, his team delivered the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, the radically thin iPhone Air, and the MacBook Neo, a new laptop category designed to bring the Mac experience to a broader global audience.
“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.”
“I am profoundly grateful for this opportunity to carry Apple’s mission forward,” Ternus said. “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.”
The Cook Legacy
When Cook became CEO in 2011, Apple had a market capitalization of roughly $350 billion and annual revenue of $108 billion. Today, Apple is a $4 trillion company with annual revenue exceeding $400 billion—a more than 1,000% increase in market cap over his tenure. The installed base of active Apple devices has grown to more than 2.5 billion worldwide, and Apple now operates in more than 200 countries and territories.
Beyond the numbers, Cook presided over some of Apple’s most consequential strategic shifts. He oversaw the creation of entirely new product categories—Apple Watch, AirPods, and Apple Vision Pro—and built Apple Services into a $100+ billion annual business, the equivalent of a Fortune 40 company on its own. He shepherded Apple’s transition to Apple Silicon, one of the most ambitious platform shifts in the company’s history. And he made privacy, environmental responsibility, and accessibility cornerstones of how Apple operates and builds products.
Johny Srouji Named Chief Hardware Officer
Apple’s second major announcement of the day was that Johny Srouji, who has served as Apple’s Senior Vice President of Hardware Technologies since 2015, has been named to the newly created role of Chief Hardware Officer, effective immediately.
Srouji will lead both the Hardware Technologies organization he has long overseen and the Hardware Engineering group that Ternus most recently ran. It’s a consolidation that puts the full breadth of Apple’s hardware operation, from custom silicon and sensors to product engineering, reliability testing, and industrial design collaboration, under a single executive.
Srouji joined Apple in 2008 with a specific mission: lead development of the A4, the first Apple-designed system-on-a-chip. What followed was one of the most consequential engineering runs in the industry. Over the years, his teams have delivered breakthrough innovations across Apple silicon, batteries, cameras, storage controllers, sensors, displays, and cellular modems. Prior to Apple, Srouji held senior roles in processor development at both Intel and IBM.
“[Srouji] has played a singular role in driving Apple’s silicon strategy, and his influence has been felt deeply not just inside the company, but across the industry,” Cook said. “He has always led his organization with remarkable deftness and judgment, and time and again, his team has delivered breakthrough innovations that have transformed our products.”
“Johny has been an incredible partner on the executive team, and is going to be an extraordinary chief hardware officer. I look forward to continuing to work closely with him in our new roles,” Ternus added.
Other Topics You Might Like:
