John Ternus officially takes over as Apple CEO

Talk about the end of an era: Tim Cook is no longer the CEO of Apple.

In his place, as announced in April 2026, comes John Ternus, a long-time Apple executive and engineer. The change went into effect today, on Sept. 1, and is now reflected on Apple's official leadership page.

If you've watched Apple's events over the past two decades, Ternus' face should be familiar; he's been with the company since 2001, most recently serving as senior vice president of hardware engineering.

To find more about Ternus and why he was chosen as Cook's replacement, check out Mashable's overview.

As for Cook, he's definitely carved himself into an incredibly important part of Apple's history. He took the helm at Apple after founder Steve Jobs resigned in 2011, and he turned the already successful company into a multi-trillion-dollar powerhouse and one of the largest companies in the world. He remains on Apple's Board of Directors as executive chair.

In a memo sent to employees on his last day of tenure, Cook thanked the entire team and called his time at Apple "truly special."

"I am most proud of what an annual report could never capture. This place is proof that culture triumphs over everything. We share a belief that what we build matters, and that we have both the opportunity and the responsibility to leave the world better than we found it," he wrote.

Cook also thanked his team via a message on social media.

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For Ternus, the first most important date at his new job is Sept. 9, when the company is scheduled to launch new iPhones, Apple Watch devices, and more.

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