According to the latest edition of the Power On newsletter by Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, John Ternus, is widely viewed as the leading candidate to succeed Tim Cook as CEO. With Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams having recently stepped down and planning to retire by the end of the year, Apple is experiencing its most significant personnel shift in a decade.
It’s worth noting that Jeff Williams, aged 62, was once a leading successor to Cook, but handed over his operational duties to Sabih Khan in July. With 27 years at Apple under his belt, Jeff Williams has overseen the global supply chain and manufacturing processes, all while steering the development of the Apple Watch and health strategies.
Since joining Apple in 1995, Sabih Khan has served as Senior Vice President of Operations since 2019, focusing on procurement and manufacturing. Tim Cook praised Jeff Williams for his contributions in building one of the most reputable supply chains globally and emphasized his significant impact on the development of the Apple Watch and health strategy.
In addition to Jeff Williams, Apple is also facing changes among several high-level executives. The fate of John Giannandrea, head of the artificial intelligence division, remains uncertain as his team encounters challenges while launching Apple Intelligence and improving Siri. Although he hasn’t left the company, the situation has clearly impacted him.
Gurman pointed out that Apple had considered appointing Mike Rockwell, the head of Vision Pro, to succeed Giannandrea, but it’s more likely that they will bring in new AI leadership from outside the company. Furthermore, Johny Srouji, the senior vice president in charge of hardware technology, is also facing changes within his department, which is responsible for the development of the A and M series chips, as well as the recently launched in-house developed cellular modem and integrated Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chips. If Srouji were to leave, the most likely candidates for his replacement would be Zongjian Chen, who leads the modem team, and Sri Santhanam, who heads the processor development.
Lisa Jackson, the Vice President responsible for environmental and social affairs, is also contemplating retirement. This former head of the U.S. EPA joined Apple in 2013 and has been overseeing environmental and social initiatives.
Tim Cook is expected to continue serving as CEO at least until 2030, and may later transition to the role of chairman of the board. Currently 50 years old, John Ternus is considered the most promising successor, sharing the same age as Tim Cook when he took over as CEO.
Gurman highlights three key factors supporting this assessment: first, the pool of potential candidates at Apple’s upper management level is quite limited. If John Ternus continues to progress smoothly, he could lead the company for over a decade, making it challenging for other candidates to reach that milestone. Second, the board may prefer to have a technology expert at the helm rather than just a sales or operations guru. Finally, John Ternus’s outstanding performance and personal charisma have earned him recognition among Apple fans and the trust of Tim Cook, granting him significant decision-making power regarding product roadmaps and strategies.
In recent years, John Ternus has seen a significant rise in public visibility, and he is set to host the launches of the iPhone 17 and iPhone Air, making appearances in several interviews. Last month, during the launch of the iPhone 17 series, he personally welcomed customers at the Apple store in London, a role that was previously held by Tim Cook.
Overall, while Tim Cook remains engaged in various internal and external matters, it is widely believed within the company that John Ternus is the strongest candidate to succeed him as CEO. In emergencies, the new COO Sabih Khan and retail head Deirdre O’Brien can step in to fulfill duties, but Ternus is still the most likely choice.
