Apple names John Ternus as new CEO, succeeding Tim Cook in Sept 2026; insider engineer-turned-exec with hardware pedigree. #Apple leadership
Tim Cook has announced he will step down as Apple CEO and become executive chairman on Sept. 1, 2026, and John Ternus, the company’s head of hardware engineering, has been named CEO-designate. The move has been presented as a planned succession while Apple is confronting AI shortfalls, China supply risks, and pressure to produce a new product wave.
Apple has unveiled Siri AI and expanded Apple Intelligence at WWDC, promising a conversational assistant that uses personal device data and Google-powered foundation models. The company has said Siri AI will enter beta this summer with a public fall release, but regulators in the EU and China will delay availability there. Apple has emphasised privacy and private cloud compute in its rollout.
Apple has showcased a revamp of Siri and Apple Intelligence, with a focus on AI integration across devices. Tim Cook has outlined leadership in consumer AI as developers and partners prepare for broader app support and monetization strategies.