Who is John Ternus, Apple's new CEO?

Apple on Monday named insider John Ternus as its next CEO, tasking the longtime hardware chief with steering the company after Tim Cook as the iPhone maker prepares for industrywide shifts driven by artificial intelligence.

Ternus, 50, will take over as Apple's Chief Executive Officer from September 1, succeeding Cook, who has led Apple since 2011 and will become executive chairman. He will also join Apple's board effective September 1.

The leadership change marks the end of an era at one of the world's most iconic companies, just as rivals bet on products that use AI to loosen Apple's grip on the consumer electronics market. Ternus is the same age as Cook was when he took over the reins from co-founder Steve Jobs in 2011.

Longtime veteran
Ternus joined Apple's product design team in 2001, became a vice president of hardware engineering in 2013, and was promoted to the executive team as Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering in 2021, reporting to Cook. He has been with the nearly $4 trillion company for nearly 25 years, having worked directly under both Steve Jobs and Tim Cook.

Hardware engineering bets
Ternus has overseen some of Apple's most consequential hardware bets in recent years, including the teams behind the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch and AirPods. He has played a key role in reigniting sales of products such as Apple's Mac computers, which have gained market share in recent years.

iPhone revamp
Ternus most recently showed the company's iPhone Air last fall, the biggest revamp of the iPhone since 2017. Apple said in a press release that the teams under Ternus have also been instrumental in creating the 'MacBook Neo' and iPhone 17 series.

Early career
Before Apple, Ternus worked as a mechanical engineer at Virtual Research Systems. He holds a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.

What will Ternus do differently?
Tim Cook turned Apple into a $4 trillion company. Ternus's biggest challenge will be advancing Apple's efforts in artificial intelligence. Forrester's principal analyst Dipanjan Chatterjee said Ternus is a hardware engineer, and his selection signals that Apple will try to maintain its distinctiveness through its physical products. Technology analyst Dan Ives said Ternus will face immense pressure to deliver results from the start, particularly in AI.

Steve Jobs preferred taking risks, while Tim Cook maintained stability through products like Apple Watch, AirPods and Apple TV Plus. It remains to be seen which path Ternus will take in the volatile AI market.