Apple entered a new chapter on September 1, 2026, as John Ternus formally became the company’s chief executive officer, ending Tim Cook’s 15-year tenure at the helm.
Cook worked his final day as CEO on August 31 and has now stepped into a newly created role as executive chairman, where he will continue to support the company, including engagement with policymakers around the world. The board of directors approved the transition unanimously, and Ternus joined the board as part of the handover.
Apple gave the industry plenty of notice. The company disclosed the succession plan back in April, meaning investors, employees, and competitors had more than four months to prepare for a change that still marks a genuine milestone: Apple’s first CEO transition since Cook succeeded Steve Jobs in 2011.
The Engineer Taking the Corner Office
Ternus, 50, has spent his entire career at Apple, joining the product design team in 2001 and steadily climbing the ranks to become vice president of hardware engineering in 2013, then senior vice president in 2021.
He has overseen hardware development across most of Apple’s major product lines and has increasingly stepped into the spotlight in recent years, introducing devices like the iPhone Air and taking on a more visible role at international events, regulator meetings, and employee gatherings ahead of the leadership change.
Employees inside Apple Park have reportedly greeted the news with a mix of excitement and nerves. Ternus is well regarded among engineering teams but is considered a less polished public communicator than Cook, meaning his early public appearances as CEO will likely be closely scrutinised for tone and direction. The general expectation is continuity in company culture and pace, paired with a renewed emphasis on hardware ambition.
No Time to Ease In
Ternus’s honeymoon period, if there is one, will be brief. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, and its long-anticipated first foldable iPhone in the first half of September, with a possible keynote date around September 9, followed by store availability later that month.
In an unusual break from past years, Apple is reportedly skipping the standard iPhone 18 model this fall entirely, pushing the more affordable iPhone 18 and iPhone 18e to a spring 2027 release instead.
That leaves the Pro lineup and the new foldable device to carry Apple’s most important sales window of the year, right as its new CEO steps into the role. The iPhone 18 Pro Max is rumoured to introduce Apple’s first 2-nanometer chip, a smaller Dynamic Island, longer battery life, and camera improvements, while keeping much of its overall design similar to last year’s model.
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The Real Test Isn’t Just a Phone Launch
The iPhone 18 Pro Max event will be closely watched, but it’s really a stand-in for a bigger question hanging over Ternus’s leadership. Apple has been widely seen as trailing rivals like Google and OpenAI in generative AI, even as it navigates a tightening regulatory environment in Washington and Brussels.
Analysts who have followed Ternus’s rise note his strength lies in hardware execution, but that he has yet to prove he can lead Apple in
Summary: Apple’s leadership transition became official on September 1 as John Ternus succeeded Tim Cook as CEO, with the iPhone 18 Pro Max launch arriving as an early test of his leadership.
