Apple CEO and Leadership John Ternus, Tim Cook and the board

Who is the CEO of Apple?

John Ternus has been Apple's chief executive since 1 September 2026 1. He joined the product design team in 2001, became a vice president of hardware engineering in 2013 and was senior vice president of hardware engineering from 2021 1. He worked on product lines including the iPad, AirPods and Apple Watch, and calls Tim Cook his mentor 2. Cook called Ternus "without question the right person to lead Apple into the future" 2. He also joined the board on 1 September 2026 1.

Apple announced the succession on 20 April 2026, and the board approved it unanimously 1. Ternus said he was "profoundly grateful for this opportunity to carry Apple's mission forward" 2. He presented his first quarterly results as chief executive on 2 November 2026 5.

Cook said that being chief executive had been "the greatest privilege of my life" 2. The handover took place after a summer in which Cook stayed on as chief executive while working with Ternus on the transition 1.

Tim Cook's new role

Tim Cook joined Apple in 1998 and was chief executive from 2011 to 2026 1. As executive chairman he helps with selected matters, including work with policymakers around the world 1. His filings now list his title as executive chair 6. Arthur Levinson, non-executive chairman for 15 years, became lead independent director 1.

Apple's executive team

Apple CEOs since 1976

The list follows Wikipedia 3. Jobs became interim chief executive on 16 September 1997 and resigned on 24 August 2011, when Cook took over 3.

Board of directors

Shareholders elected eight directors at the annual meeting on 24 February 2026: Wanda Austin, Tim Cook, Alex Gorsky, Andrea Jung, Art Levinson, Monica Lozano, Ron Sugar and Sue Wagner 4. Ternus joined the board on 1 September 2026, when Levinson moved from chairman to lead independent director 1.