The Financial Times reported that Apple has intensified plans for Tim Cook’s succession in recent months and that the director, who has been at the helm of the company since 2011, could step down “more next year”, potentially by the spring of 2026. According to their sources, the board is increasingly discussing the transition and the role that Cook would have after handing over his duties – the position of chairman is mentioned with more strategic, and less operational role.
But just a week later, well-informed Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman wrote in his Power On newsletter that these allegations were “probably simply wrong” and that “the moment is not yet in sight”. According to his information, there are very few concrete signals within Apple that Cook would moreć In 2026, he left the position of CEO. A similar message is sent by other media citing Gurman – Cook is under no obligation to leave and, after taking Apple from a valuation of $350 billion to more than $4 trillion, he has “earned the right” to set the pace of his retreat.
Unatoč because the exact date is not known, no one doubts that Apple is seriously thinking about a successor. Moreć for some time in the foreground is John Ternus, 50 years old, the head of hardware engineering in charge of iPhone, Mac, iPad and AirPods, whom FT, Bloomberg and other portals list as the main candidate for the future CEO. Along with him, Craig Federighi (head of software), Eddy Cue (services) and Greg Joswiak (marketing) are often mentioned, but most analysts consider Ternus to be the favorite, especially since longtime COO Jeff Williams retired this year.
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If it happens that Cook leaves moreć In 2026, the most likely scenario is a “soft” transition: Cook would likely remain on the board as chairman and still have a strong influence on strategy, while a new CEO would take over day-to-day operational leadership. Given that Apple is entering a period in which AI, new forms of hardware and pressure from investors demand bolder moves, it is clear why so much dust is raised around Cook’s departure – it is about a generational change at the helm of one of the most valuable companies in the world.
For now, however, the only thing that is certain is that Tim Cook has not announced his departure and that key sources such as Bloomberg report that a change at the top “is not immediate”. Everything else remains in the realm of the scenario: from Cook working alone for a few more years, to Apple taking him overć The following year, he began to slowly move from everyday life to the role of a man who oversees the successor from the top of the administration.