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CUPERTINO, Calif. — Apple is turning the page on the Tim Cook era. In a stunning succession announcement that reverberated through Wall Street and Silicon Valley, the company confirmed Monday that longtime Chief Executive Tim Cook will step down on September 1 and hand the reins to John Ternus, Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering and the quiet force behind many of the company's biggest product launches.

Cook, 65, will transition to the role of executive chairman, remaining on Apple's board of directors. Ternus, 51, becomes the first new CEO at the world's most valuable public company since Cook succeeded Steve Jobs in August 2011, weeks before Jobs' death.

A Long-Planned Handoff, Confirmed In Careful Words

Apple's board said the transition had been "thoughtfully planned over a multi-year succession process" and was approved unanimously. The company framed the move as a natural progression rather than a rupture, emphasizing continuity in the products, privacy positions and operational playbook that defined Cook's 15-year run.

"There is no greater honor than leading this incredible company," Cook said in the announcement. "I have decided that the time is right to pass the baton." He added that he will "work closely with John over the summer" to ensure a seamless handoff before stepping into the chairman role.

Ternus, a soft-spoken engineer who joined Apple in 2001 and became head of hardware engineering in 2021, said he was "humbled and honored" to take over what he called "the most extraordinary company in the world."

Who Is John Ternus?

To casual Apple watchers, Ternus may seem to have arrived from nowhere. To insiders, his ascension has felt almost inevitable. A former competitive swimmer who once wondered if he "belonged" at Apple, Ternus has spent more than two decades rising through the engineering ranks. His portfolio has grown to include the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, AirPods and the Vision Pro headset — essentially the full hardware lineup that drives the bulk of the company's roughly $400 billion in annual revenue.

Colleagues describe him as a classic Apple product obsessive — more comfortable in a design lab than on a conference stage, though he has become a familiar face at Apple's high-production launch events, introducing new iPads and Macs in crisp, understated fashion. Unlike Cook, who built a reputation as a supply chain wizard, Ternus is a product-first leader in the mold of Jobs.

To make room for his new responsibilities, Apple said hardware engineering oversight will be split, with semiconductor chief Johny Srouji expanding his portfolio and longtime hardware executive Tom Marieb assuming more direct day-to-day responsibility.