Apple has announced its chief executive Tim Cook will step down, unveiling John Ternus as his successor.
Mr Cook has held the role since 2011, succeeding the company’s founder, Steve Jobs.
He will instead become the company’s executive chairman, Apple said in a statement.
That’s similar to the transitions made by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Netflix’s Reed Hastings after they ended their highly successful tenures as CEO.
“It has been the greatest privilege of my life to be the CEO of Apple and to have been trusted to lead such an extraordinary company,” Mr Cook said in a release.
The announcement answers long-simmering questions about who would succeed Mr Cook, 65, and comes as Apple strives to show it is not being left behind in the age of artificial intelligence.
John Ternus has overseen Apple’s hardware engineering and played a key role in reigniting sales of products such as Apple’s Mac computers. (Reuters: Stephen Lam)
“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.
“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.”
Mr Ternus joined Apple’s product design team in 2001 and became a vice-president of hardware engineering in 2013. He joined the executive team in 2021 as the senior vice president of hardware engineering and remains in that role.
Mr Ternus was instrumental in the introduction of multiple new product lines, including the iPad and AirPods, as well as many generations of products across iPhone, Mac, and Apple Watch, Apple said in a statement
“I am profoundly grateful for this opportunity to carry Apple’s mission forward,” Mr 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.
“It has been a privilege to help shape the products and experiences that have changed so much of how we interact with the world and with one another.
“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,” he said in a statement.
Mr Cook will continue in his role as CEO through the summer, working closely with Mr Ternus to ensure a smooth transition.
As executive chairman, Mr Cook will assist with certain aspects of the company, including engaging with policymakers worldwide.
Although he never shook the perception that he lacked Mr Jobs’s vision, Â Mr Cook leveraged the popularity of the iPhone and other breakthroughs orchestrated by his predecessor to lift Apple to heights that seemed unfathomable when it was on the brink of bankruptcy during the mid-1990s.