The legendary Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, was a tough act for CEO Tim Cook to follow as he took the reins as company leader nearly 15 years ago.
Cook will step down in September, Apple announced April 20. John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, will succeed him.
Ternus, 50, will face his own challenges, including replacing the executive who remade Apple into a tech giant worth $4 trillion.
Ternus, who will become CEO on Sept. 1, is expected to lead Apple into a new technological era that focuses on generative artificial intelligence. While other companies have poured resources into developing AI, Apple has lagged behind.
As Apple pivots toward AI development, its wildly popular devices, including the iPhone, AirPods, Apple Watch and MacBook Pro, are keeping the company profitable.
Ternus has worked at Apple since 2001 and has worked for both Cook and Jobs, who died of cancer in 2011.
Ternus has recently overseen the company’s hardware engineering and has played a key role in reigniting sales of products such as Apple’s Mac computers.
Cook described Ternus as having “the mind of an engineer” and “the soul of an innovator.”
Cook became CEO in 2011. He shepherded Apple into a multibillion-dollar company with forays into wearable tech and artificial intelligence.
Apple said the change in leadership announced April 20 was the result of “a thoughtful, long-term succession planning process.”
Cook will become the executive chairman of the company’s board of directors when the change takes place. The move received unanimous approval from Apple’s board.
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