Image Credit: AFP via Getty Images Tim Cook announced he is stepping down as the CEO of Apple on September 1, 2026, and he swiftly announced his replacement: long-time company employee John Ternus. Cook called his successor "without question the right person to lead Apple into the future" and "a visionary whose contributions to Apple over 25 years are already too numerous to count." "John Ternus has the mind of an engineer, the soul of an innovator, and the heart to lead with integrity and with honor," Cook said, according to a press release from Apple on April 20, 2026.