Apple, one of the most famous technology companies in the world, which has created AirPods, iPhones, iPads, and even our own school-issued Marymount MacBooks, has been passed into new hands, as of September 1, 2026. After 15 years as CEO of Apple, Tim Cook officially stepped down to enter a new role as the Executive Chairman. In his place, 51-year-old John Ternus has taken up the role as Apple’s fifth CEO. So, will this new CEO change anything? Make Apple even better, or even worse? To answer this question, we must understand who John Ternus is.
In 1997, Ternus received a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania. He first joined Apple in 2001 in the company’s product design team. Twelve years later, in 2013, he became the senior vice president of Hardware Engineering. Throughout his time, he has made many important contributions to the company, leading hardware engineering for almost all of Apple’s groundbreaking products, like the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, AirPods, and Vision Pro. His impressive work and effort on Apple’s Mac has helped the category become more successful than ever before in its 40-year history. Furthermore, he has made numerous advancements in AirPods to make them the world’s best in-ear headphones, giving them extraordinary active noise cancellation and an all-in-one hearing health system. Ternus has also focused on making the company’s products more reliable and durable by reducing Apple’s carbon footprint with new, recycled aluminum compounds in multiple product lines, 3-D printed titanium for the Apple Watch Ultra 3, and innovations in repairability to increase the products’ lifespans.
Additionally, Ternus has won the approval of many, further proving his capability to lead Apple in the right direction. In particular, Tim Cook, the prior CEO of Apple, and his mentor, talk about Ternus, saying: “John Ternus has the mind of an engineer, the soul of an innovator, and the heart to lead with integrity and with honor. He is a visionary whose contributions to Apple over 25 years are already too numerous to count, and he is without question the right person to lead Apple into the future. I could not be more confident in his abilities and his character, and I look forward to working closely with him on this transition and in my new role as executive chairman.”
As for what Ternus has said himself about his plans for his time as CEO, he has announced that he wants to focus on establishing more AI features in hardware and expanding innovation with better designs and new ideas, all while continuing to maintain Apple’s traditional secrecy. He plans to lead a more evolutionary transition, rather than a radical shift, and face the challenges of geopolitics, the emerging AI race, and regulatory issues.
Overall, based on his prior contributions to Apple, the approval of others, and his plans for the future, John Ternus seems like the perfect fit for CEO. He has many years of experience and has already shaped Apple into the company it is today. His loyalty and commitment to the company show that he truly cares about the well-being and future of Apple. I believe that Ternus will lead Apple on a good path.