By Kede Aihie
Tim Cook is officially stepping down as Apple CEO after nearly 15 years running the company. Apple announced the move on Monday, April 20, 2026, and it takes effect September 1, 2026.
Cook isn’t leaving Apple entirely. He’ll become executive chairman of Apple’s board of directors and will remain as CEO through the summer to ensure a smooth handover. In his note to employees, Cook said “This is not goodbye” and called his successor “the perfect person for the job”.
John Ternus will take over as CEO. Ternus is currently Apple’s Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering and has been with Apple since 2001, leading hardware efforts for iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Apple described the change as a “long-planned transition” that was unanimously approved by the board.
Cook originally took over from Steve Jobs in 2011 and led Apple for about 15 years. Analysts noted the timing was “sooner than expected” but said it wasn’t related to company performance, with Apple stock up 10% in the month before the news.
