Who is John Ternus? Meet the new Apple CEO taking over from Tim Cook

At 50, John Ternus is the youngest member of Apple's executive leadership team. Beginning today, he assumes the role of CEO, having previously served as Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering. Throughout a career at Apple spanning more than two decades, he has worked on some of the company's most important hardware products.

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His career has included roles overseeing the development of the iPad, AirPods, iPhone, Mac and Apple Watch, giving him experience across much of Apple's product portfolio.

Having climbed the ranks within Apple's hardware division, Ternus has become an increasingly important figure in Apple's product strategy. His long tenure also makes him a familiar presence across the organisation as he takes charge of the company.

From mechanical engineer to Apple executive

Before joining Apple, Ternus worked as a mechanical engineer at Virtual Research Systems. He holds a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated in 1997.

During his time at Penn, he was also part of the men's swimming team. For his senior project, he developed a mechanical feeding arm that could be operated through head movements by people with quadriplegia.

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Ternus joined Apple's Product Design team in 2001, initially working on products including the Apple Cinema Display. He became vice president of Hardware Engineering in 2013, taking responsibility for hardware development across the Mac and iPad lines, as well as AirPods.

His rise through Apple's hardware team

In 2020, Ternus also took responsibility for iPhone hardware. A year later, he was promoted to Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, succeeding Dan Riccio. He subsequently took charge of Apple Watch hardware in late 2022.

During his time in hardware leadership, Ternus has overseen several generations of Apple products and played a key role in the transition of Macs to Apple silicon. He has also appeared at Apple events and WWDC presentations, introducing products and updates including iPad Pro models, iMac and MacBook Pro refreshes and the redesigned Mac Pro.

What lies ahead for John Ternus?

Ternus now takes charge of Apple after more than 20 years inside the company, moving from a role focused on hardware engineering to overseeing Apple's entire business. His experience spans many of the products that form the foundation of Apple's ecosystem, giving him a deep understanding of the company's hardware operations.

For Apple, the leadership change marks the beginning of a new chapter. Ternus takes over from Tim Cook with extensive experience inside the company, while Cook moves into the role of executive chairman. The focus will now shift to how Ternus uses his engineering and product experience to lead Apple into its next phase.