OAN Staff Lillian Mann
5:08 PM – Tuesday, April 21, 2026
President Donald Trump extended his congratulations to Tim Cook following Monday’s announcement that Cook will step down as Apple’s CEO, concluding a 15-year tenure. 65-year-old Cook originally inherited the role from co-founder Steve Jobs and has overseen a period of unprecedented growth for the tech giant.
In relation to the transition plan, the new CEO will be John Ternus, Apple’s current VP and head of hardware engineering. He will officially take the helm on September 1st. Additionally, rather than leaving the company, Cook will transition into the position of Executive Chairman of Apple’s board of directors.
“Tim Cook had an AMAZING career, almost incomparable,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “… and [he] will go on and continue to do great work for Apple, and whatever else he chooses to work on. Quite simply, Tim Cook is an incredible guy!!!”
Since Cook stepped into his role as Apple’s CEO in 2011, the company noted that under his leadership, Apple’s market capitalization has grown from approximately $350 billion to more than $3.6 trillion.
“It has been the greatest privilege of my life to be the CEO of Apple and to have been trusted to lead such an extraordinary company,” Cook said in a statement on Monday. “I am profoundly grateful for this opportunity to carry Apple’s mission forward.”
Ternus, Cook’s designated successor, is an Apple veteran who joined the product design team in 2001. After becoming Vice President of Hardware Engineering in 2013, he went on to oversee the development of several of Apple’s most iconic product lines, including the iPad, AirPods, and Apple Watch.
“I am profoundly grateful for this opportunity to carry Apple’s mission forward,” Ternus said, sharing how he worked under Steve Jobs while referring to Cook as his mentor. “I am filled with optimism about what we can achieve in the years to come, and I am so happy to know that the most talented people on earth are here at Apple, determined to be part of something bigger than any one of us.”
Cook reciprocated the sentiment, stating, “John Ternus has the mind of an engineer, the soul of an innovator, and the heart to lead with integrity and with honor. He is a visionary whose contributions to Apple over 25 years are already too numerous to count, and he is without question the right person to lead Apple into the future,” Cook wrote.
To facilitate Cook’s transition, Arthur Levinson will step down as Apple’s non-executive chairman while maintaining his seat on the board of directors.
During an interview with Good Morning America co-anchor Michael Strahan last month, held in anticipation of Apple’s 50th anniversary, Cook reflected on his career. Looking back at his leadership of the company, which was founded five decades ago, Cook remarked simply, “What a reflection.”
“You know, you can focus on the product moments, reinventing music, reinventing the smartphone, bringing the creative arts to the table, the creative graphics. Saving people’s lives with the watch,” he said.
Cook also brushed off public speculation about stepping down, noting, “I love what I do deeply.”
“Twenty-eight years ago, I walked into Apple and I’ve loved every day of it since,” he said. “We’ve had ups and downs, but the people I work with are so amazing. They bring out the best in me. And hopefully, I can bring out the best in them. And Michael, I can’t imagine life without Apple.”
Analysts have since noted how his transition with the Cupertino, California, company is similar to those made by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos and Netflix’s Reed Hastings after they ended their highly successful careers as CEOs. Not long after Tim Cook took over, Apple became the first publicly traded company to reach a $1 trillion valuation, and later the first to surpass both $2 trillion and $3 trillion.
“Cook created a major legacy at Apple but it was ultimately time to pass the torch to Ternus with the AI strategy now the focus,” Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives said.
Under Cook’s leadership, Apple’s valuation has skyrocketed to $4 trillion, a staggering increase from the $350 billion market cap he inherited in August 2011. This transition occurred just weeks before the passing of Steve Jobs, who died following a long battle with cancer.
“Steve Jobs was never going to be an easy act to follow, yet Tim Cook took Jobs’ legacy and transformed Apple into a durable, resilient financial powerhouse,” said Forrester Research analyst Dipanjan Chatterjee.
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