We know that Tim Cook’s days at the helm of Apple are coming to an end. We have talked at length about his legacy and who are the possible successors. What we didn’t know is when the change would occur. Apple has not confirmed anything, but according to the Financial Timesthe company is finalizing preparations and could announce it in 2026.
what has happened. Cook himself has made comments about his departure from Apple in the future and now there are clues that that future could be next year. Company sources have confirmed to the Financial Times that they are “intensifying preparations for Cook to hand over the reins.”
Why is it important. It is the most important succession in the technology sector. Cook has been the architect of Apple’s best era; In his 14 years of leadership he has managed to turn it into the most valuable company in the world with a valuation that This year it reached 4 billion dollarsonly recently surpassed by NVIDIA. The change comes at a time of challenges for Apple in which a lot is being questioned your artificial intelligence strategy and its recent bet with the iPhone Air It wouldn’t have turned out as expected.. Despite everything, the latest results were excellent and its shares are in record numbers.
The favorite. Tim Cook has already expressed his desire that his successor be someone from the company and from the beginning there is one name that has been heard more than the rest. He is John Ternus, Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering since 2013, although he joined the company in 2001. In Xataka we had the opportunity to interview him a few months ago about the launch of the iPhone 17 and iPhone Air. Ternus has deep technical knowledge and has been a key figure in the development of such important products as the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch.
Movements. This year there have been important changes in Apple’s leadership. This could be a sign that the time for succession is approaching. At the beginning of the year CFO Luca Maestri was relieved of his position and this summer, Jeff Williams, Cook’s chief operating officer and right-hand man, announced his retirement. As a consequence of this, there have been some responsibilities adjustments. Mainly with Eddy Cue taking over the health and fitness teams and Craig Federighi, head of software engineering, taking the reins of WatchOS.
The moment. For now nothing is confirmed, but according to the Financial Times, the announcement could occur at the beginning of the year, although not before the next earnings event scheduled for the end of January. Announcing the new CEO in the first months of 2026 would give him room to establish himself in the new role before the company’s big events, WWDC in June and the launch of the next iPhone in September.
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