When Is Tim Cook's Last Day As Apple CEO? Here's What He Will Do Next

After nearly 15 years at the helm, Tim Cook stepped down as Apple CEO today, marking the end of one of the most transformative leadership runs in corporate history. John Ternus, Apple’s longtime senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, will assume the role of CEO, while Cook transitions to executive chairman of the company’s board of directors.

When will Tim Cook step down officially?

Apple has announced that John Ternus will become Apple’s next CEO effective on September 1 this year. This means that Tim Cook's last day as CEO will be August 31. This also means that this year's Apple fall event keynote will be done by Ternus, and not Cook.

Cook, will remain CEO through the summer to oversee a smooth handover, will not be retiring from Apple entirely. He will then assume a new role as executive chairman, wherein he will continue to advise on key strategic matters and represent the company in global policy discussions, particularly on issues like privacy, trade, and sustainability. “This is not goodbye,” Cook wrote in an open letter to employees and shareholders earlier this year. “I love Apple with all of my being.”

Tim Cook's journey at Apple

Cook’s departure comes as Apple stands as one of the world’s most valuable companies, with a market capitalisation exceeding $4 trillion. Under his leadership since taking over from Steve Jobs in August 2011, the company’s annual revenue nearly quadrupled, from roughly $108 billion in fiscal 2011 to more than $416 billion in fiscal 2025. Its active installed base of devices now surpasses 2.5 billion, and Apple Services has grown into a standalone Fortune 40-scale business worth over $100 billion annually.

The Alabama-born executive, who joined Apple in 1998 as senior vice president for worldwide operations after a stint at Compaq, first proved his mettle as chief operating officer. He was widely credited with building the supply-chain machine that allowed Apple to scale the iPhone into the best-selling consumer electronics product in history. When Jobs stepped down due to illness, Cook was the natural successor.

His 15-year tenure as CEO will be remembered for several defining achievements.

- He oversaw the launch of entirely new product categories, including the Apple Watch (now the world’s best-selling smartwatch), AirPods, and Apple Vision Pro.

- He championed the shift to Apple-designed silicon, beginning with the M1 chip in 2020, which dramatically improved performance and battery life across Macs, iPads, and iPhones.

- Services expansion, from Apple Music and Apple TV+ to Apple Pay, iCloud, and Fitness+, turned recurring revenue into a growth engine less dependent on hardware cycles.

- Cook also steered Apple through geopolitical tensions, supply-chain disruptions during the pandemic, and intensifying competition in artificial intelligence and foldable devices. He made privacy a signature cause, famously clashing with governments and tech rivals over user data protection.

- Environmental progress was another priority: Apple reduced its carbon footprint by more than 60 percent below 2015 levels even as revenue nearly doubled, and it pioneered recycled materials and repairability initiatives across its lineup.