How Apple’s new chief could shake things up
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The week kicked off with major news that Apple’s chief Tim Cook will step down this year, with Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering John Ternus taking over as CEO in September.
Cue tech and political leaders praising the outgoing Cook, who’d presided over a more than 20-fold increase in market cap at the tech giant since taking over from the late Steve Jobs in 2011.
But what does the change in leadership say about where Apple’s going in the coming years?
I caught up with CNBC’s Fortt to get his sense of what it could mean for the future of the company.
John Ternus, senior vice president of hardware engineering at Apple Inc., during an Apple event in New York, US, on Wednesday, March 4, 2026.
Adam Gray | Bloomberg | Getty Images
How significant is it that Apple’s release mentioned Cook’s new role as involving “engaging with policymakers around the world?”
That’s very significant.
In a way, Tim Cook’s superpower was always taking the innovation in Cupertino and orchestrating the external forces to bring it to life, through perfecting the supply chain and designing supplier relationships as chief operating officer, and eventually practicing international diplomacy as CEO.
It seems he’ll be retaining some of this role as executive chairman. That could prove to be enormously valuable, giving John Ternus time to focus on Apple’s innovation processes without all of the political distractions.
Will Ternus’ appointment change Apple’s international strategy?
I would be surprised if Ternus comes in and changes international strategy, because the supply chain is both one of Apple’s core strengths and one of the most difficult things for the company to change its mind about.
Think about how long it takes to negotiate terms with governments and partners, coordinate with supply chain partners, build factories, train workers — it’s a commitment measured in decades.
That said, with the way geopolitical norms are shifting, Apple is likely to adjust things — I’m just not sure it would be attributable to Ternus taking the CEO seat.
How will Ternus impact Apple’s thesis around AI?
The Ternus appointment suggests Apple is not having an AI-induced identity crisis.
While the company obviously hasn’t executed perfectly on AI, announcing features like Siri with Apple Intelligence it hadn’t been able to ship, the company hasn’t reached outside of its homegrown ranks for a CEO. Apple hasn’t shifted software to some new position in its structure.
Instead the company has picked an insider and doubled down on its functional management structure and integrated product strategy.
What else does this mean for Apple’s trajectory?
There’s an interesting shift here in how Apple appears to be approaching hardware.
The company has gone from an emphasis on external changes to shape and color, to one on internal ramps of capability and efficiency.
During the Steve…
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