Today marks John Ternus’ first day as CEO of Apple, officially beginning a new era for the company following Tim Cook’s 15 years at the helm.
Ternus officially takes over as chief executive today, September 1, following Apple’s announcement in April that Cook would step down and transition to the role of Executive Chairman.
The change puts Ternus in charge of one of the world’s most valuable companies after spending around 25 years at Apple, where he has played a major role in developing some of the company’s most important products.
The Apple Post previously detailed everything to know about John Ternus, including his rise through Apple’s hardware organization and his involvement with products including iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and AirPods.
Ternus joined Apple’s Product Design team in 2001 before becoming vice president of Hardware Engineering in 2013. In 2021, he joined Apple’s executive team as senior vice president of Hardware Engineering.
During his time leading hardware engineering, Ternus oversaw work across every major Apple product category. Apple has credited him with playing an instrumental role in the introduction of iPad and AirPods, alongside numerous generations of iPhone, Mac and Apple Watch.
His work on the Mac has also included Apple’s transition to Apple silicon, one of the biggest changes to the product in its history.
Ternus now leaves responsibility for Apple’s hardware organization to Johny Srouji, who was named Apple’s Chief Hardware Officer in April. Srouji’s expanded position combines Hardware Engineering with the hardware technologies organization he previously led.
Ternus has already offered some clues about how he intends to approach the top job.
Shortly after his appointment was announced, Ternus said Apple is “about to change the world once again”, teasing major new products and developments as he prepared to take over from Cook.
Ternus later spoke publicly about becoming Apple CEO during the company’s earnings call, describing the opportunity to lead Apple as an “incredible honor” and thanking Cook for his trust and confidence.
Cook has repeatedly backed his successor.
In July, Cook called Ternus the “perfect person” to become Apple CEO, saying the pair had worked closely to make the leadership transition as smooth as possible.
On Monday, Cook marked his final day as CEO with an emotional memo to Apple employees, expressing his confidence in Ternus as he prepared to hand over responsibility for the company.
Cook said few people understand what it takes to create products that change the world in the way Ternus does, adding that he could not be more excited about his successor’s leadership.
While Cook’s time running Apple day to day has now ended, he isn’t leaving the company. As Executive Chairman, Cook will remain involved in certain areas of Apple and will continue working alongside Ternus.
Ternus also joins Apple’s Board of Directors from today, while longtime chairman Arthur Levinson becomes Lead Independent Director.
The new CEO will have little time to settle into the job.
Apple’s next major product event takes place on September 9, just eight days after Ternus officially takes over. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, its first foldable iPhone and more at the event, giving Ternus an almost immediate opportunity to lead one of the company’s biggest events of the year.
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