Apple turns to hardware veteran John Ternus as CEO to succeed Cook

InternationalScience & TechnologyApple turns to hardware veteran John Ternus as CEO to succeed CookBy Reuters -Apr 21, 2026Apple on Monday named longtime hardware boss John Ternus as its next CEO, turning ​to another insider to steer the iPhone maker after Tim Cook as it navigates a world radically altered by artificial intelligence, a technology it has lagged on. Cook, a ‌supply-chain genius who boosted Apple’s market value by $3.6 trillion in his 15 years at the helm, will stay on as executive chairman when Ternus takes over on September 1, Apple said in a statement. Ternus, who joined Apple in 2001, has played a central role in reviving products such as the Mac, which has gained market share against PCs. Though he has kept a low public profile, he has been deeply involved in shaping Apple’s biggest products such as iPads and AirPods. The transition ​comes at a crucial time for Apple. After years on top of the most-valuable company scoreboard, Apple has lost its crown to AI chipmaker Nvidia (NVDA.O), opens new tab, as investors have fretted over its lack ​of innovation in the technology that is changing how people work, create and get information. Integrating AI into the iPhone – the most successful consumer product in history – ⁠may be Ternus’ hardest challenge. In January, Apple struck a deal with longtime rival in smartphones, Alphabet’s (GOOGL.O), opens new tab Google, to use Google’s Gemini in an effort to improve its Siri virtual assistant. Despite introducing a form of AI ​to the public imagination in 2011 with Siri, Apple has not yet scored a hardware or software product hit centered on new AI technologies, while emerging rivals such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT have attracted hundreds of millions ​of users. In particular, Siri has not yet become an “agent” – the term that AI firms use for systems that carry out complex tasks like a human assistant. “I expect his biggest challenge and efforts will be focused on getting a better AI story and offering together th...