Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering John Ternus will succeed Tim Cook as CEO this September, ending Cook's 13-year tenure leading the tech giant. "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 announcing his departure.

Following Steve Jobs' death in 2011, Cook guided Apple through its post-iPhone era, overseeing the launch of the Apple Watch, AirPods, and Vision Pro. He transformed the company into a services powerhouse with Apple TV, Apple Music, and various subscription offerings. Cook will transition to executive chairman of Apple's Board of Directors.

Ternus joined Apple in 2001, becoming VP of hardware engineering in 2013 and a senior executive in 2021. He has been prominently featured at recent product launches, including the MacBook Neo. His promotion signals a continued emphasis on hardware leadership at the company.