‘A legend’: Sam Altman praises Tim Cook as he exits Apple CEO role

It's official! Tim Cook, Apple’s Chief Executive Officer for nearly 15 years, is stepping down from the role. John Ternus, Apple’s hardware lead, will take his place to map the next era of Apple. As Cook steps down, he shared a note to the community saying that “This is not a goodbye,” as he will remain in the company as executive chairman. 

Sam Altman calls Cook a “Legend”

As the news broke, executives and many people turned to social media platforms to react to the transition, claiming that the change marked the end of an era.

OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman, shared an X post calling Cook a “legend.” 

“I am very thankful for everything he has done, and I am very grateful to Apple,” he added.

Must read: Apple elevates Johny Srouji as hardware chief, revamps team into five segments

Palmer Luckey, founder of Oculus VR, also shared a humorous post on X, saying “RIP Tim Apple.”  It points back to the 2019 White House slip where Donald Trump called Tim Cook “Tim Apple.” Cook playfully embraced the slip by updating his Twitter name with an Apple logo.

Internet reacts to Cook’s exit as CEO

In addition, many have expressed admiration for Cook’s steady leadership and for driving Apple’s period of massive growth. A X user said, “Apple keynotes won’t feel the same without Tim Cook’s ‘Good Morning’” 

Another user said, “ Cook was an incredible operator who made Apple insanely profitable and turned it into the most valuable company on Earth.”

“Tim Cook is the rare executive who proved you don’t need to be the founder to build something historic,” an X user stated.

Also read: "The best job in the world": Read Tim Cook's last message as Apple CEO

Ternus’s reign begins

John Ternus has been a part of Apple for over 25 years, working behind the scenes on some of the company’s most important hardware products, including the iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and playing a key role in shaping its modern device lineup.

Now, a hardware chief is set to lead Apple into its next phase, stepping in at a critical time when the company is accelerating its progress in AI amid intensifying competition. At the same time, Apple is under mounting pressure to show AI‑driven innovation in wearables, spatial computing, and other experiences.