Tim Cook was the CEO of Apple (AAPL) for 14 years. During this time, the company's market capitalization exceeded $4 trillion, and its annual revenue increased to almost half a trillion dollars. This is a success by any measure.
But at 65, Cook is nearing the end of his time at the helm of one of the world's most powerful companies. According to the Financial TimesApple is preparing for Cook to step down as early as next year to give his successor a chance to adapt to the role before he is sent to major events such as Apple's WWDC software event.
Replacing Cook, who has been at Apple since Steve Jobs hired him in 1998, will not be an easy task. But one name keeps rising to the top of the list of potential successors: John Ternus.
Ternus, Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering, joined Apple in 2001 and has held his current position since 2013. Mark Gurman, Bloomberg's Apple forecaster sees Ternus as a likely future CEO, especially now that Jeff Williams, the company's former chief operating officer, has retired and officially turned in his badge. Williams was previously considered the next contender for the CEO position.
Ternus is 50 years old and, as an engineer, understands the technology of Apple products. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in mechanical engineering and worked at Virtual Research Systems before joining Apple.
John Ternus, Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering, unveils the new M2 microprocessor at Apple's WWDC 2022 developer conference at the company's Apple Park headquarters in Cupertino. (Christoph Dernbach/Photo Alliance via Getty Images) ·Photo Alliance via Getty Images
Cook's steady hand at the helm gives Ternus the opportunity to start his tenure as CEO on a strong footing. The company is performing well and continues to grow. But there are also dark spots.
The Justice Department has sued Apple for alleged antitrust violations that could force the company to change a number of business practices. And the company continues to face criticism from Wall Street over its lack of artificial intelligence capabilities compared to competitors.
But according to experts, Ternus is well prepared for this task.
Apple's next leader will almost certainly come from within the company – something Cook has said he'd like to see – which helps Ternus' argument.
Deepwater Asset Management managing partner Gene Munster, a longtime Apple watcher, agreed, telling Yahoo Finance that running Apple is akin to being the leader of a small country, and few, if any, could step up and run Apple.
“It has to be an inside person,” Munster said. “This must be a person who is already prepared and knows all the nuances of company management. [Ternus] great choice. I think he'll do a fantastic job. It's the right choice, but it's the only choice.”
Ternus has already made several high-profile public appearances at Apple's annual events, including the latest iPhone launch.
He is also the perfectionist that Apple is known for. During his keynote address at University of Pennsylvania engineering research begins in 2024.Ternus described arguing with a supplier over the number of screw head grooves that would go on the back of his first Apple product, the Apple Cinema Display. The screws the supplier suggested had 35 grooves, but Ternus demanded that they stick to the 25 grooves Apple wanted.
“I distinctly remember stepping back for a minute and thinking, 'What the hell am I doing?' This is fine?” And I thought about it and realized that it might not be normal, but it’s the right thing,” he said.
“That's right, because I've already spent months working on this product, and if you're going to spend that much time on something, you should put your best foot forward. Maybe the customer will notice, maybe they won't. But either way, whenever I saw one of these displays on someone's desk, it was important to me to know that me and my teammates had thought about it.”
Ternus has also worked for many Apple companies. He has worked on iPhones, iPads and AirPods and is helping Apple continue its transition to using more of its own silicon chips in all of its products.
Apple CEO Tim Cook holds the new iPhone 17 Pro during a special Apple event at Apple Headquarters on September 9, 2025 in Cupertino, California (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images) ·Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
Munster said Apple likely began grooming Ternus for the CEO position about two years ago, although he disagreed with a Financial Times report that Cook would leave in the coming months.
Instead, Munster said he believes Ternus will serve as co-CEO alongside Cook until Cook retires permanently.
Whoever takes over from Cook will have to ensure the company maintains the momentum it saw under Cook.
During his tenure, Cook oversaw the launch of a number of new product lines, including the Apple Watch and AirPods, pushed Apple to make its own chips for Mac laptops and desktops, and, most importantly, built the company's services segment into a $109 billion-a-year business.
But Cook has also faced some criticism, including the lack of a true successor to the iPhone and the company's ongoing problems with artificial intelligence. And now Apple's next CEO will have to face the same challenges whenever he takes office.
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