Apple names hardware veteran John Ternus as CEO to succeed Tim Cook in AI age

SAN FRANCISCO - Apple on April 20 named insider John Ternus as its next chief executive, tapping the long-time hardware boss to steer the company after Mr Tim Cook as the iPhone maker gears up for a technology landscape upended by artificial intelligence.

Mr Ternus, who joined Apple in 2001 and has been a quiet but steadfast behind-the-scenes presence in improving its products over the years, has played a key role in reigniting sales of products such as Apple’s Mac computers, which have gained market share against PCs.

He must now chart a new path for one of Silicon Valley’s most storied businesses at a challenging moment. Though Apple’s growth remains strong, the company has struggled to catch up in AI – technology that promises to transform the way consumers use devices. 

“John Ternus has the mind of an engineer, the soul of an innovator, and the heart to lead with integrity and with honour,” Mr Cook said in a statement. “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.”

At 50, Mr Ternus is the same age Mr Cook was when he took over CEO duties from Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. He most recently showed the company’s iPhone Air in the autumn of 2025, the biggest revamp of the iPhone since 2017 and a key proving ground for several new chips.

He has also helped sharpen the distinctions among Apple’s product lines by introducing Pro models of Macs and iPhones that pushed their technological capabilities and prices to new heights, while also introducing offerings such as the Macbook Neo and iPhone “e” models at some of Apple’s lowest-ever prices.

Mr Ternus will have to fend off Nvidia, which has announced its own personal computer and is working on chips that can power laptops, as well as rivals such as Meta Platforms, whose augmented-reality glasses have become a surprise hit with just a fraction of the capabilities – and price tag – of Apple’s Vision Pro headset.

“The promotion of Mr Ternus indicates the company will focus on new hardware devices such as folding phones, glasses, VR devices and AI pins,” said Mr Gil Luria, managing director of D.A. Davidson & Co.

Perhaps the biggest challenge Mr Ternus will face is how to integrate AI into the iPhone, the most successful consumer product in history, and the rest of Apple’s line-up. Earlier in 2026, Apple struck a deal with long-time rival in smartphones, Alphabet’s Google, to use Google’s Gemini in an effort to improve its Siri virtual assistant.

Despite introducing a form of AI to the public imagination in 2011 with Siri, Apple has not yet scored a hardware or software product hit centred on new AI technologies, while emerging rivals such as OpenAI have attracted hundreds of millions of users.

“I expect his biggest challenge and efforts will be focused on getting a better AI story and offering together that relies more on Apple’s own capabilities and less on third parties,” said Mr Bob O’Donnell, head of tech consulting firm TECHAnalysis Research.

Investors largely took Apple’s announcement in stride on April 20. After falling nearly 2 per cent, the shares pared their losses to 0.5 per cent in after-hours trading.

Mr Ternus is a “Tim Jr” in style, and he is likely going to “continue to run the show the way Tim did”, said an executive who asked not to be identified so they could speak candidly. He is not a Steve Jobs-like showman, the person said. “He’s not a marketing ace. But he’s a product guy who is also politically savvy.”

Cook oversaw historic growth

Mr Cook will become the company’s executive chairman, Apple said in a statement. Apple stock has soared since he took over as CEO in August 2011.

Mr Cook was recruited by Mr Jobs from Compaq at a time when that firm was riding high on the 1990s PC boom, and Mr Jobs was working to rescue Apple from the brink of insolvency.

While Mr Cook made his early reputation at Apple by building out its sprawling supply chain in China, over the years he became a celebrity CEO in his own right. He was the first Fortune 500 CEO to come out as gay, in 2014, and took public stances on issues such as workplace diversity and corporate sustainability.

Mr Cook, who presented a custom golden plaque to US President Donald Trump, will also continue to engage with policymakers, the company said.

In naming Mr Ternus as CEO, Apple is shifting from a supply-chain guru who helped turn Apple into a global brand that churns out hundreds of millions of units a year, to a leader who has long focused on design and products.

Mr Ben Bajarin, CEO of technology consulting firm Creative Strategies, said Mr Ternus is well liked within Apple “and will bring fresh energy”.

Separately, Apple said that Mr Johny Srouji, who has overseen Apple’s custom chip and sensor designs, has been named chief hardware officer. Mr Srouji will continue to oversee that group, along with the hardware engineering group that Mr Ternus once led, which will now be led by Mr Tom Marieb. REUTERS, BLOOMBERG