John Ternus

John Ternus earned a mechanical engineering degree at the University of Pennsylvania in 1997. He joined Apple's product design team in 2001, where one of his first assignments was the Apple Cinema Display.

He became a vice president of hardware engineering in 2013, with responsibility for the iPad, the Mac and later AirPods. From 2020 he also oversaw iPhone hardware and the Mac's move to Apple silicon, was promoted to senior vice president in 2021 and added Apple Watch hardware at the end of 2022. In January 2026 his responsibilities grew again to include oversight of industrial design. He became a familiar presenter in Apple's keynotes, especially on Mac and iPad products.

On April 20, 2026, Apple announced that the board had unanimously chosen Ternus to succeed Tim Cook. He took over as chief executive officer on September 1, 2026, and joined the board of directors on the same date. His former hardware engineering responsibilities passed to Johny Srouji, who became chief hardware officer. Cook remains with the company as executive chairman.

As CEO, Ternus leads an executive team that includes Craig Federighi, Eddy Cue, Greg Joswiak, Sabih Khan, Kevan Parekh, Johny Srouji, Deirdre O'Brien and Jennifer Newstead, who became general counsel in 2026. Tim Cook, as executive chairman, remains involved in selected matters such as engagement with policymakers, and Arthur Levinson serves as lead independent director.