Apple’s CEO History: Who led the company before Steve Jobs and Tim Cook?

Did you know? Steve Jobs was not the first CEO of Apple. According to Apple’s CEO timeline, John Ternus will become the eighth head of the company, starting September 1. Apple have had a rotating cast of chief executives since its founding in 1976,  long before Tim Cook took the reins in 2011, and even before Steve Jobs became the face of the brand. Here’s a detailed timeline of Apple CEOs over the years:

Michael Scott (1977–1981): Steve Jobs and co-founder Steve Wozniak were not the first leaders of Apple. Michael Scott was appointed Apple's first CEO and was brought in to provide adult supervision to the young founders and led Apple through its explosive early growth, including its 1980 IPO.

Mike Markkula (1981–1983): After Scott, Markkula was appointed as an interim leader of Apple. He was Apple's third employee and an early financial backer lead the company for about 2 years before an outside leader stepped in.

John Sculley (1983–1993): Before Apple, Sculley worked for Pepsi, and he was also known to be the youngest-ever president at the company. Jobs reportedly persuaded Sculley to lead Apple, saying, “Do you want to sell sugar water for the rest of your life, or do you want to come with me and change the world?” However, his appointment also became the exit for Jobs from Apple.

Michael Spindler (1993–1996) and Gil Amelio (1996–1997):  Before becoming the CEO, Spindler was Apple’s chief operating officer. However, his tenure saw declining sales and market share. When Amelio stepped in, he introduced several structural changes, including downsizing employees. After pushing Jobs out in 1985, Apple eventually paid $427 million for the company he founded next to rebuild its operating system.

Steve Jobs (1997–2011): Jobs became interim CEO in 1997 and was named permanent CEO in 2000. Under Jobs, the company saw new product lines including the iMac, the iPod, the iPad and the iPhone, followed by growing success and market reputation.

Tim Cook (2011–2026): Cook was Apple's chief operating officer and took over as CEO after Jobs stepped down due to health issues. Under Cook, Apple has grown into a multi-trillion-dollar company, expanding into services, wearables, and most recently, artificial intelligence.

John Ternus (2026): Now, Ternus will take the crown as Apple CEO, following the legacy of Steve Jobs and seven other 7 leaders before him.