Tim Cook said he is very satisfied with John Ternus as Apple’s next chief executive officer, ahead of the planned leadership transition on September 1, 2026. Cook also said he will miss the role after stepping down as CEO. Apple announced in April that Cook will move to executive chairman, while Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, will become CEO. The board said the decision followed long-term succession planning. Ternus joined Apple in 2001, became vice president of hardware engineering in 2013, and currently oversees hardware engineering for the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and AirPods.