Momentous occasion at Apple practically cements CEO Tim Cook's successor

Apple CEO Tim Cook will very likely be stepping down from his role within the next few years, and his replacement has practically been etched in stone. According to industry insider Mark Gurman, who has talked about this potential successor before at length, a momentous change has taken place at the company, but it’s still being kept under wraps.

John Ternus, the next CEO of Apple?

Gurman has detailed before why John Ternus is very likely going to succeed Cook as CEO at Apple. There have been quite a few changes in the company that make it seem like Ternus is being readied for the role.

As Gurman has pointed out previously, Ternus is around the same age that Cook was when he became CEO. John Ternus has also been getting more public-facing roles for the last few years, as he gives more interviews, is a part of more product launches, and conducts more and more store visits on launch days.

Last, but not least, Ternus has a background that means that he won’t just be someone who markets Apple’s products during the company’s highly anticipated events. Instead, he’s also someone who truly understands how these products work, inside and out. Which makes it abundantly clear why he’s just been given a prestigious and rare promotion that has basically cemented his future as Apple’s next CEO.

“Executive sponsor” of Apple’s design teams

According to a new report (subscription required), hardware chief John Ternus has now been appointed “executive sponsor” for Apple’s design teams. Ternus has been awarded oversight of both the company’s hardware as well as software design teams. He will also be facilitating communication between Apple’s design staff and the top brass.

Oversight of Apple’s design teams was handed over to Ternus late last year, and the transition has only really happened under the radar, as Gurman puts it. For now, at least on paper, the design teams are apparently still reporting to Tim Cook.

This position is one of the most prestigious roles that an executive can be awarded at Apple. Prior to John Ternus, only three people have held this role in modern Apple history:

• Tim Cook, from 2015 to 2017
• Jony Ive, until 2019
• Jeff Williams, from 2019 to 2025

Ternus is succeeding Williams in this role now that the latter has stepped down and exited the company after a 27-year-long tenure.



The new role for John Ternus also shows a belief among some board members over at Apple that he might be the best person to guide the company into its new, AI-powered future. AI is, of course, taking over the entire tech industry. Apple is very late to AI smartphone tools that can compete with Google and Samsung, and the board is hopeful that Ternus can ensure smoother sailing from here on out.

As good as we could have hoped for

Personally, I think that John Ternus is a pretty solid choice for eventually replacing Cook, though Craig Federighi would also have been a great fit. Federighi, in my mind, has just about the same amount of public recognition as Ternus, but the latter probably possesses other qualities that we’re not aware of.

Gurman says that, for now, there are no evident signs of Cook’s imminent departure, but we can expect that day to come sooner rather than later. He’s had a good long run, and I’m definitely going to miss seeing him at future Apple events, but we can’t expect him to stick around forever.

And, if some other Apple executives are to be followed as examples of retirement from Apple, then Cook might not really leave the company even after stepping down as CEO. I would not be surprised in the slightest if he sticks around as chairman of the board, which is a rumor that has been floating around ever since reports about his retirement.