Apple’s current CEO Tim Cook is expected to leave his role on September 1, 2026, and as he prepares to step down as CEO, he has written a letter to the Apple community.
Cook said he starts his day reading notes from Apple users around the world, which fills him with indescribable gratitude. According to Cook, Ternus is the perfect person to take over as Apple’s CEO.
To the Apple community:
For the past 15 years I have started almost every morning the same way. I open my email and read the notes I received the day before from Apple users around the world.
Share with me little episodes of your lives and tell me the things you want me to know about how Apple has touched you. About the time your mom saved her Apple Watch. About the best selfie you took at the top of a mountain that seemed impossible to climb. You thank me for how the Mac has changed what you can do at work and sometimes you give me a hard time because something you care about is not working as it should.
In all those emails I feel the beating heart of our shared humanity. I feel a deep sense of responsibility to work hard and move forward. But most of all, I feel a gratitude I can’t put into words, that somehow I was the person on the other end of those emails, the leader of a company that explodes thoughts and enriches lives in profound ways that defy explanation. What an honor and privilege that was.
Today we announced that I am taking the next step in my journey at Apple. In the coming months I will be transitioning into a new role, leaving the CEO job behind in September and becoming the executive chairman of Apple. A new person will be entering what I know in my heart is the best job in the world. That leader is John Ternus, a brilliant engineer and thinker who has spent the last 25 years building Apple products that our users love, obsessed with every detail, focused on all the ways we can make something better, brighter, more beautiful, and more meaningful. He is the perfect person for this job.
John cares deeply about who we are at Apple, what we do at Apple, what we achieve at Apple, and he has the heart and character to lead with extraordinary integrity. I am proud to call him the next CEO of Apple. The company will reach incredible heights under his leadership, and you will feel his influence in all the excitement and availability that comes from the products and services to come. I can’t wait for you to know him as I know him.
It’s not goodbye. But at this time of change, I wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you. Not on behalf of the company, this time, although there is a well of gratitude for you that overflows within our walls. But just on my behalf. Tim. Someone who grew up in a rural area in a different time and, thanks to these magical times, became the CEO of the biggest company in the world. Thank you for the confidence and kindness you have shown me. Thank you for greeting me on the street and in our stores. Thank you for cheering with me when we launch a new product or service. Thank you, above all, for believing in me to lead a company that always prioritizes our work. Every day we wake up and think about what we can do to make your life better. And every day, you made mine the best I could ask for.
Cook will remain Apple’s CEO until September 1, 2026, when John Ternus will take over. After Ternus assumes the role of CEO, Cook will continue to advise Apple in a new role as executive chairman.