Meet John Ternus: The Engineer Taking Over Apple After Tim Cook’s 15-Year Reign

Apple has entered a new era with John Ternus officially taking over as CEO on September 1, 2026, succeeding Tim Cook after 15 years. Ternus is a mechanical engineer who joined Apple in 2001 and rose to become Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering. He has overseen hardware teams behind major products including the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and AirPods, and played a key role in Apple’s hardware evolution. His appointment could bring a stronger product and hardware focus, even as Apple faces major challenges in artificial intelligence. The big question: what will the Ternus era mean for Apple’s next generation of products?