Tim Cook's last day as Apple CEO: John Ternus takes over as Phil Schiller exits App Store role

Tim Cook has worked his last day as Apple's CEO, ending a tenure that began in 2011 when he took over from Steve Jobs. John Ternus, the company's senior vice president of hardware engineering, steps into the top job on September 1. The Verge notes that under Cook, Apple grew from the inheritor of the iPhone into one of the most dominant forces in the daily lives of billions of people.

Cook's farewell memo

The Verge published Cook's final message to Apple staff, which it says was first reported by Bloomberg and 9to5Mac. In the note, Cook writes that he always knew this day would come but finds it hard to believe it has arrived, and he credits the company's team for anything that could be called his success.

Much of the memo is about culture rather than strategy. Cook argues that culture “triumphs over everything,” that Apple's people share a duty to leave the world better than they found it, and that the company made it possible to leave a “dent in the universe” — a phrase he attributes to Steve Jobs. He also makes clear he is not retiring: “As you know, I am not leaving Apple.”

The sharpest signal in the letter is his endorsement of Ternus. Cook writes that he takes enormous comfort in handing over to someone he calls brilliant and capable, and that “few people understand what it takes to build products that change the world the way John does.”

TechCrunch adds that Cook will remain at Apple as executive chairman and will keep managing the company's political relationships, including those with President Trump and the Chinese government. On X, Cook wrote that his “title changes tomorrow” but that his gratitude to the Apple community is endless.

A hardware engineer inherits the top job

Ternus's promotion points to a company refocusing on hardware and product execution, TechCrunch argues. He has run Apple's hardware engineering organization across the full device lineup, and notable products shipped under his watch include the ultra-thin iPhone Air, the lower-cost MacBook Neo, and AirPods with hearing health features.

Hardware also matters more in the AI era, TechCrunch notes, both through Apple's chips and through the machines people use to run enterprise AI. The publication points to Apple's earlier-than-usual releases of the Mac mini and Mac Studio this year as evidence of AI-driven demand.

Phil Schiller steps back

The changes reach beyond the CEO office. According to The Verge, citing Bloomberg, longtime Apple executive Phil Schiller is stepping down as head of the App Store and Apple events, announced just one day before Ternus takes over. Schiller will keep his Apple Fellow title and continue working on unspecified initiatives.

His history at the company runs deep: The Verge reports he joined Apple in 1987, became head of marketing in 1997, helped launch the App Store alongside Steve Jobs in 2008, and contributed to products including the iPhone, iPad, iPod and Mac. He previously gave up the marketing role in 2020.

As part of the reshuffle, Bloomberg reports that the App Store division moves under services chief Eddy Cue, while Carson Oliver continues to lead the store itself.

Why it matters

This is the first change of CEO at Apple since Cook replaced Jobs in 2011, and the choice of successor says a lot about direction. Where Cook came from operations, Ternus comes from product engineering — a signal that Apple's next era will be judged on hardware execution at a moment when AI is reshaping what devices need to do.

Cook's continued presence as executive chairman, particularly on political and China matters, gives Ternus cover on the fronts the farewell memo did not address. Indeed, as TechCrunch observes, the note says little about AI, services, regulation or China — the very questions the incoming CEO must now answer. Meanwhile, moving the App Store under Eddy Cue consolidates one of Apple's most profitable and most scrutinized businesses inside the services organization.