Tim Cook stepping down as Apple CEO, John Ternus taking over

The first StrictlyVC of 2026 hits SF on April 30. Tickets are going fast. Register now. Save up to $680 on your Disrupt 2026 pass. Ends 11:59 p.m. PT tonight. REGISTER NOW. Tim Cook stepping down as Apple CEO, John Ternus taking over TechCrunch Desktop Logo TechCrunch Mobile Logo LatestStartupsVentureAppleSecurityAIApps EventsPodcastsNewsletters SearchSubmit Site Search Toggle Mega Menu Toggle Topics Latest Tim Cook stepping down as Apple CEO, John Ternus taking over Amanda Silberling 1:42 PM PDT · April 20, 2026 Apple announced on Monday that Tim Cook, who has served as Apple’s CEO since 2011, will step down. Cook was the direct successor as Apple CEO after Steve Jobs, who resigned due to health issues. Cook will remain in his role until September 1 of this year, when Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering John Ternus will take over as CEO. Cook will then transition to a new role as Apple Executive Chairman. “John Ternus has the mind of an engineer, the soul of an innovator, and the heart to lead with integrity and with honor,” Cook said in a statement. “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.” This story is developing… Amanda Silberling Senior Writer Amanda Silberling is a senior writer at TechCrunch covering the intersection of technology and culture. She has also written for publications like Polygon, MTV, the Kenyon Review, NPR, and Business Insider. She is the co-host of Wow If True, a podcast about internet culture, with science fiction author Isabel J. Kim. Prior to joining TechCrunch, she worked as a grassroots organizer, museum educator, and film festival coordinator. She holds a B.A. in English from the University of Pennsylvania and served as a Princeton in Asia Fellow in Laos. You can contact or verify outreach from Amanda by emailing amanda@techcrunch.com or via encrypted message at @amanda.100 on Signal. April 30 San Francisco, CA StrictlyVC kicks off the year in SF. Get in the room for unfiltered fireside chats with industry leaders, insider VC insights, and high-value connections that actually move the needle. Tickets are limited. Most Popular Blue Origin’s New Glenn put a customer satellite in the wrong orbit during its third launch Sean O'Kane Palantir posts mini-manifesto denouncing inclusivity and ‘regressive’ cultures Anthony Ha ‘Tokenmaxxing’ is making developers less productive than they think Tim Fernholz Anthropic launches Claude Design, a new product for creating quick visuals Aisha Malik Physical Intelligence, a hot robotics startup, says its new robot brain can figure out tasks it was never taught Connie Loizos Anthropic CPO leaves Figma’s board after reports he will offer a competing product Tim Fernholz After sale of its shoe business, Allbirds pivots to AI Sarah Perez X LinkedIn Facebook Instagram youTube Mastodon Threads Bluesky TechCrunchStaffContact UsAdvertiseCrunchboard JobsSite Map Terms of ServicePrivacy PolicyRSS Terms of UseCode of Conduct OpenAIIranGas PricesTeslaAppleTech LayoffsChatGPT © 2026 TechCrunch Media LLC.