Cook said he has “enormous comfort” in giving control over the company to “someone as brilliant and wonderful and capable” as Ternus.

“Few people understand what it takes to build products that change the world the way John does and I could not be more excited for his leadership,” he said.

Cook became the CEO of Apple in 2011, taking over the position once held by co-founder Steve Jobs, who was dying from pancreatic cancer when Cook was named his successor. Jobs was 56. Now, Cook will have an advisory role over Apple’s future direction.

What will Cook’s new role entail?

The executive chairman of the board of directors is responsible for overseeing high-level strategy and global government relations rather than managing the company’s daily operations.

The chairman is also expected to provide support to the new chief executive.

Cook is replacing Arthur Levinson as the board’s chairman, starting Tuesday. Levinson will stay on the board as its lead independent director.

The board of directors is based at Apple Park, the corporation’s headquarters in Cupertino, California.

How was his relationship with the Trump administration?

Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House last year, Cook has directly engaged with the administration on tariff exemptions for Apple, domestic manufacturing investments, and other areas of economic policy that affect the tech giant directly.

This level of cooperation suggests his relationship with the president was largely pragmatic rather than partisan. Earlier this year, Cook said he was “not a political person” who favored either party, although his critics might think otherwise.

Cook was one of the top corporate donors to Trump’s 2025 inauguration fund, gifting $1 million from his personal pocket. He later presented a U.S.-made custom glass plaque set on a 24-karat gold base to Trump during a White House visit, and he also attended a private screening of the Melania documentary.

Cook has faced public backlash for these reasons, but Trump has been grateful for their professional relationship over the years.

After Apple announced Cook’s resignation in April, Trump praised the outgoing executive as an “incredible guy” and shared a story of one of their past conversations at the start of his first term.

“He had a fairly large problem that only I, as President, could fix,” Trump wrote in a lengthy Truth Social post. “Most people would have paid millions of dollars to a consultant, who I probably would not have known, but who would say that he knew me well. The fees would be paid but the job would not have gotten done. When I got the call I said, wow, it’s Tim Apple (Cook!) calling, how big is that? I was very impressed with myself to have the head of Apple calling to ‘kiss my ass.’ Anyway, he explained his problem, a tough one it was, I felt he was right and got it taken care of, quickly and effectively. That was the beginning of a long and very nice relationship.”

In his glowing statement, the president claimed Jobs would not have run Apple as well as Cook over the past 15 years if Jobs were still alive and had remained CEO.

“Tim Cook had an AMAZING career, almost incomparable, and will go on and continue to do great work for Apple, and whatever else he chooses to work on,” Trump said.

Who is Cook’s successor?

Ternus joined Apple as a member of the product design team in 2001, four years after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering.

By 2013, Ternus became the vice president of hardware engineering. In that role, he oversaw the development of products, such as the iPad and AirPods.

In 2021, Ternus was promoted to senior vice president of hardware engineering and later put in charge of the Apple Watch product line. That was his last position before becoming CEO.

Ternus, 51, was one of the top choices to succeed Cook, 65. Because of his age, Ternus could very well lead Apple for the next 10 to 15 years.

What is Apple’s upcoming special announcement?

One of Ternus’s first tasks as CEO is to lead Apple’s annual September event next week.

The event is widely expected to be used for unveiling the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, the first-ever foldable iPhone, and new models for Apple Watches and AirPods.

TRUMP RECALLS HOW TIM COOK KISSED ‘MY ASS’ IN POST PRAISING HIS TENURE AS APPLE CEO

Ternus’s expertise in product design and hardware engineering will be a major plus for the company’s product slate moving forward.

The special announcement, to be held at Apple’s corporate headquarters in California, is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. local time on Sept. 9.