Today is Tim Cook’s last day as Apple CEO, John Ternus takes over tomorrow

After 15 years at the helm, today is officially Tim Cook’s last day as Apple CEO. In April, Apple announced that Cook would step down as CEO on September 1, with John Ternus set to take the reins.

Cook, of course, isn’t going away completely. Instead, he’s set to become executive chairman of Apple’s board of directors.

Tim Cook’s last day as Apple CEO

Cook became Apple’s CEO in 2011, two months before Steve Jobs passed away. Ternus, meanwhile, joined Apple in 2001 as a member of the company’s Product Design team. He moved up the ranks quickly and was formally promoted to senior vice president of Hardware Engineering in January of 2021.

In a report over the weekend, Bloomberg reiterated that Cook’s focus as executive chairman will see him managing Apple’s relationships with President Trump and the Chinese government.

Cook will serve as Apple’s executive chairman. He’s told Ternus that he’ll keep managing the company’s relationships with President Donald Trump and the Chinese government, and that he’s eager to handle any other tasks his successor deems necessary. While Cook has talked about plans to take up more outdoor activities and spend time at his vacation home in Palm Springs, he’s also told staffers the company will remain his No. 1 priority, because he “can’t imagine it any other way.”

When he becomes CEO, Ternus is expected to take Tim Cook’s current office, Bloomberg says. The Information has reported that Cook’s executive assistant will stay on and work for Ternus.

Apple held a farewell dinner for Cook at Apple Park last week, according to reports. This included “hours of tributes from Ternus, Laurene Powell Jobs, and other current and former Apple executives. OneRepublic, one of Cook’s favorite bands, also performed at the event.

The transition comes ahead of Apple’s “Surprise and shine” special event, which will take place on Wednesday, September 9. Cook will not be featured in the event. Instead, it will be spearheaded by Ternus. During the event, Apple is expected to unveil the foldable iPhone Ultra, iPhone 18 Pro, new Apple Watch models, and more.

In recent weeks, Apple has made a wave of unpopular announcements, including raising prices on most of its hardware products (but not iPhone), as well as subscription services including Apple TV, Apple Music, and Apple One. This should set the stage for Ternus to take over and focus on kicking off what’s been described as Apple’s most ambitious product cycle ever.

Are you excited to see Ternus take over as Apple CEO tomorrow? What changes do you hope he makes? How would you grade Cook’s tenure? Let us know down in the comments.

My favorite Apple deals right now: 

Follow Chance: Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, and Mastodon.