The CEO of Apple, Tim Cook (65 years old), will be replaced at the head of the company at the beginning of September by a member of the group's management, John Ternus (50 years old), who until now was in charge of physical products, from the iPhone to the Mac, reports AFP.
Even though John Ternus was considered the favorite to succeed Tim Cook, who will move to the position of executive chairman of the board of directors, this change was not expected so quickly.
“A sudden decision”
Asked by France Presse what he thought of the announcement, Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives described the change as a “sudden decision”.
Coming to Apple in 1998, Tim Cook was appointed CEO in August 2011, after the resignation of the iconic leader Steve Jobs, seriously affected by pancreatic cancer that killed him a few weeks later.
Less charismatic than his predecessor, this engineer originally from Alabama (south of the United States) led Apple on the path of explosive growth.
Between 2011 and 2025, the company from Cupertino (California) increased its turnover almost four times, and its market capitalization became thirteen times higher, exceeding 4 trillion dollars today, being the third largest in the world.
At the same time, Tim Cook's fortune followed the evolution of the group and has now reached 2.9 billion dollars, according to the website of Forbes magazine.
Critics have particularly faulted Tim Cook for not launching a product as striking as the iPod or iPhone, which appeared under Steve Jobs' leadership.
The only major new products it has on its record are the Apple Watch smartwatch, on sale since 2015, and the Vision Pro virtual reality headset in 2024, whose sales have disappointed.
Services have been the engine of growth in the Tim Cook era
But the white-haired, sober-bespectacled boss distinguished himself on other fronts, particularly in software, within a group whose DNA was primarily based on hardware.
Thus, he contributed to the rise of services. This sector, which includes the App Store, music (Apple Music) and video (Apple TV) streaming platforms, as well as remote data storage (iCloud), has become the company's main growth engine.
“Tim's exceptional leadership has made Apple the best company in the world,” commented Arthur Levinson, Apple's chairman of the board for 15 years, who will relinquish his title but remain a director.
An Apple employee since 2001, John Ternus will also join the board in addition to his appointment as CEO.
Tim Cook also stood out for his qualities as a negotiator and foresight of major events.
Thus, he allowed the group to pass without major incidents over the supply difficulties related to the coronavirus pandemic, but also to pass unnoticed through the meshes of the geopolitical nets last year, amid the crisis between the United States and China, a major market for Apple.
What will Apple do in the field of AI?
But Tim Cook and his team missed the turning point of artificial intelligence (AI), heralded by the appearance of ChatGPT in November 2022.
Since then, Apple has been running after the big players in the sector, without having yet managed to fully integrate the new capabilities of AI into its flagship product, the iPhone, which is still waiting for a new version of the Siri assistant.
The announcement comes less than two months before Apple's big annual event, the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), at the beginning of June, during which the giant must reveal precisely the advances in the field of AI.
Choosing a new boss from within is not surprising, as Apple places great importance on the company's unique culture.
“Cook probably feels the pieces of the puzzle are now in place to hand over the reins ahead of WWDC,” Dan Ives opined.
According to him, the former director “will leave a lasting mark” on the company, while John Ternus “will face a lot of pressure to make a successful debut, especially in the field of AI.”
