John Ternus
Ternus in 2026
Born 1975 or 1976 (age 50–51)
Education University of Pennsylvania (B.S.)
Title
  • Senior Vice President for Hardware Engineering of Apple (2021–present)

John Ternus (born 1975 or 1976) is an American engineer and business executive who has served as the senior vice president of hardware engineering at Apple Inc. since 2021. He originally joined Apple in 2001.

Apple announced on April 20, 2026, that Ternus will succeed Tim Cook as CEO, effective September 1, 2026.

Early life and education

Ternus was born in 1975 or 1976.[1] He received a bachlor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 1997.[2] While at Penn, Ternus competed on the men's swimming team.[3] For his senior project, he developed a mechanical feeding arm operable by individuals with quadriplegia using head movements.[4]

Career

Ternus began his career as a mechanical engineer designing virtual reality headsets at Virtual Research Systems.[5] He joined Apple in 2001 as a member of the product design team, working first on the Apple Cinema Display.[6][7] In 2013, he was appointed vice president of hardware engineering under Dan Riccio, overseeing the development of the AirPods, Mac and iPad product lines.

In 2020, he was also put in charge of iPhone hardware, previously overseen directly by Riccio.[8][9] He was promoted to senior vice president of hardware engineering in 2021, replacing Riccio,[8] and was put in charge of Apple Watch hardware in late 2022.[10] Bloomberg News reported that Ternus was the "youngest member of Apple's executive team", and described him as "charismatic and well-liked".[8][9] He had been widely reported by media to be the potential successor to Tim Cook as the company's next chief executive.[6][11][12]

Ternus has presented new hardware at several WWDC events, revealing refreshes of the iMac and MacBook Pro, the 2018 iPad Pros, the iMac Pro and the redesigned 2019 Mac Pro. He has subsequently appeared as a regular presenter at Apple events.[13][14][15]

On April 20, 2026, Apple announced that Ternus would succeed Tim Cook as its CEO on September 1 of that year.[16][17]

See also

  • List of Apple products

References

  1. ^ "Apple Inc. (Form: 8-K, Received: 04/20/2026 17:30:14)". Apple Inc. April 20, 2026. Retrieved April 21, 2026. Mr. Ternus, 50, joined Apple in 2001 and assumed his current position in 2021.
  2. ^ "Apple Leadership - John Ternus". Apple. Retrieved July 14, 2021.
  3. ^ "M. Swim coasts to easy win". The Daily Pennsylvanian. February 3, 1994. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
  4. ^ Huang, Kalley; Mickle, Tripp (January 8, 2026). "The Man Who Could Be Apple's Next C.E.O." The New York Times. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
  5. ^ Yildirim, Ece (November 16, 2025). "Apple's Succession Wars Start. Here's Who Might Take Tim Cook's Spot". Gizmodo. Retrieved November 17, 2025.
  6. ^ a b Mann, Jyoti (November 17, 2025). "Who is John Ternus, the Apple exec tipped to take over from Tim Cook?". Business Insider. Retrieved May 15, 2025.
  7. ^ Ternus, John (May 18, 2024). 2024 Penn Engineering Undergraduate Commencement Ceremony (Speech). Palestra: University of Pennsylvania School of Engineering and Applied Science. Event occurs at 38:17. Retrieved November 18, 2025. My first project at Apple was the Cinema Display; it was a large desktop monitor.
  8. ^ a b c Gurman, Mark (January 25, 2021). "Apple's Hardware Chief Leaves Post for Unnamed New Project". Bloomberg News. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  9. ^ a b Gurman, Mark (August 29, 2021). "Tim Cook's Run as Apple CEO Could End as Early as 2025. Who Will Replace Him?". Bloomberg News. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  10. ^ Gurman, Mark (February 2, 2023). "Apple Is Dropping Industrial Design Chief Role in Post-Jony Ive Era". Bloomberg News. Retrieved October 16, 2023.
  11. ^ Charlton, Hartley (October 6, 2025). "Gurman: Major Apple Leadership Shakeup Impending With John Ternus as Next CEO". MacRumors. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
  12. ^ Gurman, Mark (January 22, 2026). "Apple Hardware Chief John Ternus Now Overseeing Design in Latest Sign of CEO Candidacy". Bloomberg News. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  13. ^ "Apple Events - October 2021". Apple. Retrieved November 11, 2021.
  14. ^ "WWDC22 Keynote". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
  15. ^ "Apple Event — May 7". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
  16. ^ Vanian, Jonathan; Elias, Jennifer (April 20, 2026). "Apple names John Ternus as CEO to replace Tim Cook, who will become chairman". CNBC. Retrieved April 20, 2026.
  17. ^ "Tim Cook to become Apple Executive Chairman John Ternus to become Apple CEO". Apple Newsroom. Retrieved April 20, 2026.