Apple is undergoing its most significant leadership transition in more than ten years, with several long-serving executives preparing to step down and CEO Tim Cook beginning to shape the company’s next generation of leadership, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
In the latest edition of his Power On newsletter, Gurman reports that Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams—long seen as Cook’s likely successor—has already stepped back from managing Apple’s operations and is expected to leave the company by the end of the year. His exit would mark Apple’s first major executive change since 2019, when Jony Ive and Angela Ahrendts departed. Gurman suggests this could be the start of a broader reshuffle at the top of Apple, where many executives have held their roles for more than a decade.
Phil Schiller, Apple’s former marketing chief, continues to advise on product launches and oversee the App Store, while former CFO Luca Maestri, who stepped down last year, remains involved in managing information systems and real estate. However, Gurman notes that Apple’s long period of executive stability is drawing to a close, with multiple leaders considering retirement or role changes.
A key area of focus is Apple’s AI leadership. John Giannandrea, who heads Apple’s machine learning and AI division, has seen his role evolve amid internal debate over the company’s direction in artificial intelligence. Giannandrea, a former Google executive, has been instrumental in developing Apple Intelligence, but Gurman reports that portions of his responsibilities have shifted to Mike Rockwell, the former Vision Pro chief, who is now leading efforts to overhaul Siri.
Apple is also said to be exploring external hires to strengthen its AI teams, including talent from Meta, which has recently expanded its AI ambitions with new hires such as Scale AI founder Alexandr Wang and the formation of its “Superintelligence Labs.”
In hardware, Johny Srouji, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Hardware Technologies and the architect behind its A-series and M-series chips, is reportedly evaluating his future with the company. Under Srouji’s leadership, Apple transitioned away from Intel processors and has been developing its first in-house cellular modem. Internal successors could include Zongjian Chen, who oversees modem and wireless technologies, and Sri Santhanam, who leads processor development.
Lisa Jackson, Apple’s Vice President of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives, is also rumored to be considering retirement. Jackson, who joined Apple in 2013 after serving as EPA Administrator under President Obama, has recently taken a more reserved role, with deputies handling much of Apple’s government and policy engagement.
Although Tim Cook remains firmly in control, Gurman notes that at 65, the Apple CEO is beginning to plan for the company’s long-term leadership. With Jeff Williams exiting, Apple no longer has a clearly defined successor. Cook may eventually transition into a chairman role—a move similar to those taken by Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and Larry Ellison.
The leading internal candidate to succeed him is John Ternus, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering. Ternus, who joined Apple in 2001 and has overseen hardware development for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac, has taken on a more public role in recent years. He led the presentation for the new iPhone Air and has been featured more prominently in Apple’s marketing and media communications.
At 50 years old, the same age Cook was when he became CEO in 2011, Ternus is viewed as a technically minded leader with the experience to guide Apple into its next era. Gurman notes that Apple’s board is likely to favor an executive with a strong engineering background as the company deepens its focus on AI, mixed reality, and future device categories.