[1]From the Business Standard :

> Apple has accelerated its succession plans as the company prepares for Chief Executive Tim Cook to potentially step down as early as next year, Financial Times reported. Apple's board and senior leaders have recently increased their focus on a smooth leadership transition after Cook's more than 14 years at the helm of the $4 trillion tech giant, the news report said.

>

> John Ternus, senior Vice-President of hardware engineering, is seen by many inside Apple as the top contender to become the next CEO. However, no final decision has been made yet. The leadership shift has been in the works for years and is not connected to its present performance, the news report said. Apple expects a strong year-end sales season, especially for the iPhone... Cook, who turned 65 this month, became Apple's CEO in 2011 after the passing of co-founder Steve Jobs. Under his leadership, Apple's market value has grown from around $350 billion in 2011 to $4 trillion today. Apple's stock is near a record high following strong results last month.

Apple "is unlikely to introduce a new CEO before its earnings report in late January, which covers the crucial holiday quarter," the article points out. "An early-year announcement would allow the next leadership team time to settle before Apple's major annual events — the Worldwide Developers Conference in June and the iPhone launch in September..."

Slashdot reader [2]BrianFagioli points out that top-contender Ternus "is [3]deeply technical and has been central to Apple Silicon and the hardware comeback in the Mac line."

> If Apple elevates him, that would be an unmistakable signal that the board wants a return to stronger, more grounded hardware leadership. The company may finally realize that accessories aren't enough to keep Apple fans excited, and that expensive experiments are not a substitute for devices people can actually use and afford... Financial success can only hide hardware misfires for so long. Apple needs a leader who can reconnect the company with its reputation for creating devices people can't live without, not ones people return or ignore.

[4]Tech blogger John Gruber "absolutely loves" the idea of Cook's successor "being a product person like Ternus, and Ternus is young enoughâ — â50, the same age Cook was in 2011 when he took the reins from Steve Jobsâ — âto hold the job for a long stretch."

> Ternus took over iPhone hardware engineering in 2020, and was promoted to senior vice president of hardware engineering in January 2021, [5]when Dan Riccio stepped aside . Apple's hardware, across all product lines and including silicon, has been exemplary under Ternus's leadership. And Ternus clearly [6]loves and understands the Mac. I would also bet that Cook moves into the role of executive chairman, and will still play a significant, if not leading, role for the company.

And Gruber makes another observation about that Financial Times article. "That 'several people' spoke to the FT about this says to me that those sources (members of the board?) did so with Cook's blessing, and they want this announcement to be no more than a little surprising."



[1] https://www.business-standard.com/world-news/apple-ceo-succession-tim-cook-to-leave-leadership-transition-plan-125111500772_1.html

[2] https://www.slashdot.org/~BrianFagioli

[3] https://nerds.xyz/2025/11/apple-tim-cook-fired/

[4] https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/11/15/ft-apple-tim-cook-succession

[5] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-01-25/apple-says-hardware-chief-riccio-to-transition-to-new-role

[6] https://daringfireball.net/linked/2025/11/10/five-years-of-apple-silicon-macs