Apple’s Tim Cook Era Is Ending. Here’s What Tech Fans Want Next.

After a 15-year run as Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook has announced he’s stepping down. John Ternus, senior VP of hardware engineering, is next in line for the position, the tech giant announced.

Cook isn’t stepping away from the company completely, instead taking over the position of executive chairman of Apple’s board of directors. Ternus’ rise to CEO goes into effect September 1, 2026.

“It has been the greatest privilege of my life to be the CEO of Apple and to have been trusted to lead such an extraordinary company,” Cook said in a statement. “I love Apple with all of my being, and I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with a team of such ingenious, innovative, creative and deeply caring people who have been unwavering in their dedication to enriching the lives of our customers and creating the best products and services in the world.”

Ternus released a statement as well, expressing his gratitude for the opportunity after years of dedication to the company. Tim Cook and Steve Jobs, he says, were his mentors “almost [his] entire career.”

Apple Users Are Divided on the New (and Old) CEO

People passionate enough about tech to spend their time talking about it online having strong opinions about Apple’s CEO? No way!

As anyone could guess, countless tech enthusiasts have given their take on the title of Apple CEO changing hands, and the opinions vary wildly from one social media post to the next.

“Was good at changing camera positions for every new release. Absolute genius,” one user said of Tim Cook, we can assume mockingly.

“Can’t wait for him to announce the same phone in a slightly different shade of titanium,” another said, this one referencing soon-to-be CEO John Ternus. “Wow, maybe they will start innovating again rather than just changing the plug holes every three years,” a third snarked.

Meanwhile, others are more earnest in their response. “At last. Steve Jobs was a huge loss. A true innovator that permanently changed the course of phones, making media and info available to everyone,” one hopeful Apple user said of John Ternus. “Hopefully they’ll start innovating again. There hasn’t been an interesting release in years,” another wrote, rather bluntly.

Whether you believe Tim Cook was a legend or an Apple CEO on cruise control, there’s no doubt there will be some changes down the line for the tech company under John Ternus. With 15 years of experience at Apple under his belt already, the 50-year-old engineer has to have some ideas.

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