Apple Installs John Ternus as CEO After Tim Cook's 15-Year Run

Tim Cook stepped down as Apple chief executive on Monday after a 15-year run that turned the company into one of the wealthiest entities on the planet. John Ternus, the longtime hardware executive, now leads a firm valued at roughly $4.6 trillion, yet one facing mounting pressure to prove it can compete in artificial intelligence while navigating strained relations between Washington and Beijing.

Cook took over weeks before Steve Jobs died in 2011. He expanded sales from $108 billion to more than $400 billion and grew profits fourfold, largely by scaling the iPhone into a global platform and building services that generate recurring revenue from two and a half billion active devices. The company added major product lines such as the Apple Watch and AirPods under his watch. Cook also kept Apple’s vast supply chain running through multiple trade disputes, including tariffs imposed during Donald Trump’s first term.

Those same frictions now fall to Ternus. The new CEO inherits a company that has struggled to deliver on AI promises made nearly two years ago. Apple delayed major Siri upgrades and turned to Google’s Gemini model for parts of its Apple Intelligence features, a move widely viewed as an admission that its own efforts had fallen short. Reports indicate several senior AI researchers and engineers have left for Meta, including leaders in foundation models and design.

Ternus faces an immediate public test. Apple is scheduled to unveil its next iPhones on September 9, with expectations centered on a foldable model. Analysts say the device will need to demonstrate clear advances in on-device processing power and privacy protections if the company hopes to regain momentum against rivals already shipping more advanced AI tools.

The broader picture includes shortages of advanced memory chips driven by surging demand across the tech sector for AI infrastructure. Apple must also manage its heavy reliance on manufacturing in China at a moment when U.S. policy toward the country remains unpredictable. Cook built personal ties with Trump that helped ease earlier tariff threats; it remains unclear whether Ternus can replicate that access or whether the company will face renewed pressure on supply chains and export controls.

Cook will stay on as executive chairman, a role that includes oversight of government affairs. Several other longtime executives have already stepped back from day-to-day duties, leaving Ternus with a thinner bench of institutional memory. The transition occurs as Apple confronts questions about whether its culture and compensation structures can retain top talent in a field where competitors are spending aggressively.

For a company whose market value exceeds the gross domestic product of most nations, the stakes extend beyond quarterly results. Its choices on AI deployment, labor practices in supplier factories, and engagement with U.S. trade policy will shape standards for an industry that increasingly influences daily life, work, and public discourse.