Tim Cook greets the first customers at the Apple Store in downtown Detroit.
Apple CEO Tim Cook was on hand in downtown Detroit on Friday, September 19, 2025, to welcome customers to the new Apple Store on Woodward Avenue.
Apple on Monday announced a senior vice president of hardware engineering to replace CEO Tim Cook, who has led the California-based company for more than a decade.
The selection of John Tarnas, who will assume his new role on September 1 to ensure a smooth transition, was unanimously approved by Cupertino’s board of directors and “follows a considered long-term succession planning process,” Apple said in a news release.
“John Ternus has the heart of an engineer, the soul of an innovator, and the heart to lead with integrity and honor. He is a visionary whose contributions to Apple over his 25 years are countless, and he is undoubtedly the right person to lead Apple into the future,” Cook said in a release. “I could not be more confident in his abilities and character and look forward to working closely with him in this transition and in his new role as Executive Chairman.”
Mr. Tarnas said Mr. Cook was his mentor for most of his career at Apple.
“I am honored to take on this role and am committed to leading with the values and vision that have come to define this special place for half a century,” Ternus said in the release.
Who is John Tarnas?
Ternus currently leads hardware engineering for iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watches, AirPods, Apple Vision Pro, and more, the company said.
Mr. Tarnas, 50, is considered a possible successor to Mr. Cook and has been profiled in both the New York Times and Bloomberg.
According to Apple, he began his career as a mechanical engineer at Virtual Research Systems in 1997 after earning a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.
Ternus’ journey with Apple began in 2001 when he joined the company’s design team.
In 2013, Ternus became the company’s vice president of hardware engineering. Eight years later, he joined the company’s executive team as senior vice president of engineering hardware.
During his time at Apple, Ternus has “overseen hardware engineering efforts for a variety of breakthrough products across all categories,” according to Apple.
“He was instrumental in introducing multiple new product lines, including iPad and AirPods, and many generations of products across iPhone, Mac, and Apple Watch,” Apple said.
Additionally, Ternus’ work on the Mac has made the product line “stronger and more popular around the world than at any time in its 40-year history,” the company said, adding that his work was critical in the recent introduction of the MacBook Neo.
His team’s work was also critical in the development of last fall’s “Redefined iPhone Lineup,” which included the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, iPhone Air, and iPhone 17.
According to Apple, “Under his leadership, his team has also driven advances that make AirPods the world’s best in-ear headphones, with unprecedented active noise-cancelling capabilities and the ability to become an all-in-one hearing health system that doubles as an over-the-counter hearing aid.”
The company credits Ternus’ efforts with “introducing new technologies that significantly increase the resiliency of Apple products, with a focus on areas such as reliability and durability.”
His work has also helped fuel Apple’s innovations in materials and hardware design to reduce the carbon footprint of its products, “including the creation of new recycled aluminum compounds that have been introduced across multiple product lines, the use of 3D printed titanium in the Apple Watch Ultra 3, and repairability innovations that have extended the lifespan of several Apple products,” the company said.
Arthur Levinson, who has been Apple’s non-executive chairman for the past 15 years and will take over as lead independent director in September, credited Ternas with his “unprecedented leadership” that helped turn Apple into “the best company in the world.”
“He has introduced breakthrough products and services time and time again, and his integrity and values are infused into everything we do at Apple,” Levinson said in a release.
