(Cupertino, CA) — A thin column of white smoke was seen rising from the central courtyard of Apple Park shortly before 9 a.m. on Monday. Minutes later, Apple confirmed that hardware chief John Ternus would replace Tim Cook as chief executive, effective immediately.
Cook, 65, ends a 15-year run that began in 2011 when he succeeded the late Steve Jobs. Under his leadership Apple grew from a $350 billion company into one worth north of $4 trillion, shipped the Apple Watch, AirPods, Vision Pro, and approximately 100 biilion dongles.
Ternus addressed employees inside the Steve Jobs Theater wearing a charcoal crewneck sweatshirt with "MY TERN" printed across the chest in the company's San Francisco font.
"It's my turn, to think different" he said, to a crowd of senior Apple leadership.
Cook is expected to move into the role of Chairman of the Board, where sources say he will focus on what he described in an internal memo as "the work that has always mattered most — logistics." He declined an on-camera sendoff, reportedly telling staff he preferred "to leave the way I arrived: through a well-optimized supply chain."
Ternus, who joined Apple in 2001 and most recently ran hardware engineering, is widely credited with the iPad Pro, the MacBook Air M1, and a long-standing reputation for remaining calm during keynote rehearsals. Ternus will adopt a regnal name for all future keynote appearances and product launches: Johnny Apple. Cook, meanwhile, will become Tim Cooked.
A second, darker plume of smoke was observed above the campus around 11 a.m. An Apple spokesperson confirmed it was unrelated to the transition and was "just the pizza oven at Caffè Macs."
