Apple Confirms No Major Changes as John Ternus Replaced Tim Cook

Tim Cook (right) and John Ternus appear together at the premiere of the fourth season of the Ted Lasso series in Los Angeles (photo: dok. apple)

JAKARTA - Apple has confirmed that it will not make any major changes in the direction of the company when John Ternus officially replaces Tim Cook as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) on September 1, 2026. In a joint public appearance held ahead of the leadership change, the two emphasized the importance of continuity of the strategy that Apple has been implementing so far.

Cook and Ternus appeared together at the premiere of the fourth season of the Ted Lasso series in Los Angeles, July 27, 2026. The event was the last Apple TV premiere attended by Cook as CEO and the first for Ternus after being announced as his successor.

On that occasion, Cook expressed his support for Ternus and said that the person who would replace him was the right person to lead Apple. "John is the perfect person for this role," said Cook.

Meanwhile, Ternus admitted that he had an extraordinary opportunity after spending 25 years in Apple. "This is amazing. I've been at Apple for 25 years. I love Apple, and getting this opportunity is hard to express in words," said Ternus.

Even though he has been appointed as the next CEO, Ternus is reluctant to reveal the changes he will make, including those related to the development of the Apple TV service.

"I'm really excited about the momentum we have right now. There's so much great content on Apple TV, and now is the perfect time to keep that momentum going, bringing in incredible storytellers and creators to make this service even better," he said.

When asked if he had started discussing the direction of Apple TV with Apple's Senior Vice President of Services, Eddy Cue, Ternus only answered that the current condition of the service was very good.

He also refused to provide an answer regarding the possibility of Apple increasing the release of films in theaters or the first steps that will be taken after officially taking office as CEO in September. "You have to wait and see," said Ternus.

This attitude is considered to show that Apple does not use the change of leadership to announce changes in strategy directly. Instead, the company wants to showcase a stable and continuous transition.

Apple announced its succession plan on April 20, 2026. According to the plan, Ternus will lead the company's daily operations starting September 1, 2026, while Cook will transition to Executive Chairman and continue to provide support, including in relations with policymakers in various countries.

Cook said the transition process went very well, both for employees and Apple investors. "This transition went very, very well. John is the right person for this position, and everything went very well," he said.

Previously, Cook also told employees that the time for leadership change was chosen when Apple was in a strong business condition, had a clear product roadmap, and a successor ready to take over responsibility.

As Executive Chairman, Cook said he would continue to accompany Ternus as an advisor in running the company.

Ternus joined Apple in 2001 and was appointed Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering in 2021. During his career at the company, he was involved in the development of various products, including the Mac, iPad, and iPhone.

At the end of 2025, Ternus was also entrusted with being an executive sponsor for Apple's design organization, so his role expanded to the development of hardware and software design. At that time he emphasized that design would remain a key part of the company's strategy.

With this background, it is expected that Ternus' leadership will continue to continue the foundation that Cook has built. Given that Apple's product development cycle lasts for years, various devices and services introduced at the beginning of his leadership are expected to still be the result of strategies that have been prepared before he officially took office as CEO.