Apple has officially found its 8th CEO.
On Monday, April 20, the trillion-dollar company announced that Tim Cook, its CEO since 2011, who succeeded co-founder Steve Jobs, would be stepping down.
Stepping up to the plate is now John Ternus, who has worked with Apple for almost a quarter century, and brings a different background and skillset to the executive table. Here's what to know about him.
© AppleWho is John Ternus?
John, who was born in 1975, is currently senior vice president of hardware engineering, a contrast to his predecessor's previous job as chief operating officer prior to becoming CEO; Tim had joined the company in 1998 as a senior vice president for worldwide operations, and then as vice president for worldwide sales and operations.
Though little is known about John outside of his professional life, he graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1997, and worked as an engineer at Virtual Research Inc. for four years before starting his 25-year career at Apple.
During his time at UPenn — he attended the school at the very same time as fellow tech exec Elon Musk — he was part of the swimming team, and developed a mechanical feeding arm that could be controlled by individuals with quadriplegia using head movements for his senior project, per The Daily Pennsylvanian.
He graduated from Penn with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, alongside a minor in Psychology.
© Getty ImagesHis work with Apple
As an engineer, John knows Apple and its products to its core, and has led the hardware engineering for some of the company's most recognizable products, playing a particularly important role in new product lines for Mac, AirPods and the iPhone.
Per a January 2026 report from the New York Times suggesting he was the frontrunner to replace Tim, he is known for his attention to detail and his knowledge of Apple's vast supply network.
Of both Tim and John, who is the same age his predecessor was when he became CEO, the outlet further shared they are also "considered even-tempered collaborators, capable of navigating the bureaucracy of one of the world’s wealthiest companies without ruffling feathers."
As for his future with Apple, which is valued at a whopping $4 trillion, there's definitely pressure to "produce success out of the gates" analyst Dan Ives told CNN, especially "on the AI front."
© Getty ImagesJohn's personal life
Anyone looking into getting to know more about Apple's new CEO has quickly found that he is fiercely private, and little is known about his personal life.
He is presumably based in or near Cupertino, California, where Apple is based, and though there are photos of him wearing a ring on what appears to be his left hand's ring finger, as of writing there are no confirmed, public details about a possible spouse or children.
