Meet John Ternus, the Apple exec who replaced Tim Cook as CEO

John Ternus was Apple's head of hardware engineering. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images John Ternus succeeded Tim Cook as Apple's CEO on Tuesday. Ternus, who joined Apple in 2001, is known for his leadership in hardware engineering. He has showcased Apple's innovations at major events like WWDC. It's official. John Ternus has replaced Tim Cook as Apple's CEO. Ternus, a career product guy, is taking the helm after Cook, an operations guy, led the company for just over 15 years. Cook's famed predecessor, Steve Jobs, was also a product guy. The new CEO steps in as Apple faces pressure on the product and operational fronts. Apple has raised prices on MacBooks and iPads amid an ongoing memory chip crunch, is facing AI regulations in Europe, and is about to launch the latest — maybe foldable? — version of its iPhone. During the company's July earnings call, Cook called Ternus "one of a kind" and said the transition would go "seamlessly." Cook, who has cozied up to President Donald Trump, will remain at Apple as executive chairman — a position that includes "engaging with policymakers around the world," the tech company wrote. "I could not be more confident in his abilities and his character,