Tim Cook’s Last Day As Apple CEO: After 15 Years, Apple Enters A New Era Under John Ternus (AI-generated) After a long journey of 15 years, Tim Cook is stepping down as Apple CEO on August 31, 2026. This marks an end to one of the most important leadership eras in the history of the company. Cook will hand over the CEO position to John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering. While Ternus will take responsibility for Apple’s day-to-day operations, Cook will remain closely connected to the company as executive chairman of its board, according to AFP. One of Cook’s notable achievements has been Apple's giant level supply chain. Before becoming CEO, Cook was already known for his expertise in operations. He focused heavily on making Apple's manufacturing system more efficient and building strong relationships with suppliers. Over the years, Apple developed a vast network of suppliers and manufacturing partners, with China becoming a major centre of its production, added the AFP report. This system allowed Apple to manufacture millions of devices and distribute them across the world at enormous scale. Cook's supply-chain strategy became one of the foundations of Apple's success during his time as CEO. The Apple Watch became one of the company's biggest new products under Cook. Launched in 2015, the smartwatch gradually moved beyond basic notifications and fitness tracking, with Apple adding features related to health, safety and activity monitoring. Over the years, Apple expanded the Watch lineup with more powerful models and new capabilities, helping it become a key companion device for iPhone users. AirPods were another major addition to Apple's business. Introduced in 2016, the wireless earbuds helped Apple popularise the truly wireless earbud category. Their small size, simple pairing with Apple devices and close integration with the company's ecosystem made them a major success. Apple later expanded the AirPods family with models offering features such as active noise cancellation and improved audio quality. The product line also helped Apple strengthen its position in the growing wearables and accessories market. As per AFP, India became increasingly important for iPhone assembly, while Vietnam took on a larger role in manufacturing other Apple products. The shift has not eliminated Apple's dependence on China, but it has given the company more manufacturing options at a time of rising trade tensions between Washington and Beijing. Cook's final day as CEO does not mean his relationship with Apple is over. He will become executive chairman, keeping him involved with the company while Ternus takes over as CEO. The arrangement also gives Apple access to Cook's experience in dealing with governments, suppliers and international markets. For Ternus, that could be especially useful as he takes on responsibilities far beyond engineering. Govind Choudhary is the Chief Copy Editor for Tech at Times Now with over five years of experience in the media industry. He covers consumer technolog... View More