Tim Cook‘s sixty fifth birthday is subsequent month — Nov. 1, to be precise — and with the Apple CEO’s special occasion looming, talks have been constructing relating to his potential successor. Cook dinner has made no official public point out of retirement or stepping down but, however in keeping with Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the tech large is working behind the scenes to make sure a seamless transition when the time comes.
Cook dinner changed Steve Jobs in 2011, and after a interval of uncertainty, Cook dinner ushered Apple into its most worthwhile period. Inventory-watching web site Stocktwits stories that the company’s stock increased by round 1,800% since Cook dinner took over main the corporate.
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Jobs might have launched units just like the iPhone into on a regular basis use that modified how we work together with expertise however Cook dinner expanded on the Apple expertise. Underneath his steerage, the corporate constructed upon Apple’s smartphone by introducing subscription companies and extra cellular merchandise, together with earbuds and wearables.
He launched Apple Pay, Beats headphones turned a part of the corporate’s ecosystem, the Apple Watch launched 10 years in the past and Apple even entered the leisure enterprise, producing unique Oscar-winning motion pictures and Emmy-winning TV reveals by way of Apple TV Plus.
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Tim Cook dinner reveals off the brand new orange iPhone 17 at 2025’s Apple Occasion.
We should always reiterate that the notion of Cook dinner stepping down is pure hypothesis at this level. We do not know what Apple’s CEO is at the moment planning or what his ideas about retirement could also be. That mentioned, there are a handful of contenders who’ve reportedly been a part of the succession dialog.
Potential Apple CEO contenders
Apple possible has “a stable bench of successors” that the corporate’s board has been creating, says Bryan Ma, VP of Units Analysis at IDC.
“However the nervousness will get amplified when there is not clear visibility for such a beneficial and iconic firm,” Ma says. “Compounding the problem is the truth that the bar has been set by large rock stars like Steve Jobs and Tim Cook dinner. The subsequent era of leaders have very large sneakers to fill.”
John Ternus, Apple’s present vice chairman of {Hardware} Engineering, was high of Gurman’s listing. Ternus has been with the tech large for greater than twenty years, so he has the information and expertise for a chief government improve. There can be worth in having an engineer behind the wheel.
Ternus appeared through the September Apple occasion to introduce the iPhone Air. At 50, he is the identical age Cook dinner was when he took over as Apple CEO.
Different potential contenders are additionally being thought-about, together with Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice chairman of software program engineering; Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice chairman of worldwide advertising; and Jeff Williams, the corporate’s former chief working officer, in keeping with a report by Apple Insider. On Oct. 10, Bloomberg reported that Federighi additionally will quickly be overseeing the Apple Watch working system watchOS, whereas Ternus will probably be overseeing Apple Watch {hardware} engineering as soon as Williams departs on the finish of the 12 months.
Federighi has been with Apple for a very long time and has the general public talking expertise — often talking throughout Apple Events — that might be very important if he changed Cook dinner as CEO. Contemplating his present function, Joswiak has a extra advertising perspective and a broader overview of the corporate and might not be as hands-on with the tech as Ternus and Federighi. And in keeping with Gurman, Williams was seen as a shoo-in to be Cook dinner’s alternative till his function as COO was introduced to be ending. (He is now Apple’s senior vice chairman of design, watch and well being.) Cook dinner held the place of chief working officer earlier than he changed Jobs as CEO in 2011. Sabih Khan will probably be getting into that COO function, which additionally places his title within the working.
When Cook dinner steps down, Apple will undoubtedly have a pool of certified expertise to select from to take up the management mantle. Who precisely will take the mantle stays to be seen.
Apple did not instantly reply to a request for remark.
