This story is developing and will continue to be updated.
1997 Engineering graduate John Ternus was announced as Apple’s next CEO on Monday.
Ternus — who serves as senior vice president of Hardware Engineering at Apple — will succeed current CEO Tim Cook on Sept. 1. Ternus graduated from Penn with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Mechanics, alongside a minor in Psychology.
As an undergraduate at Penn, Ternus was a member of the men’s swimming team and developed a mechanical feeding arm that could be controlled by individuals with quadriplegia using head movements for his senior project.
He graduated from Penn in the same year as 1997 College and Wharton graduate Elon Musk — who is currently the largest shareholder of the automobile company Tesla, space technology company SpaceX, and social media company X.
Ternus will join Apple’s board of directors upon assuming his new role, while Cook will transition to executive chairman.
“I am profoundly grateful for this opportunity to carry Apple’s mission forward,” Ternus wrote in the April 20 press release. “Having spent almost my entire career at Apple, I have been lucky to have worked under Steve Jobs and to have had Tim Cook as my mentor.”
In his current role, Ternus is responsible for managing all hardware teams in the Apple suite. He first joined Apple in 2001 as a member of the product design team, and went on to become vice president of Hardware Engineering in 2013.
“We believe John is the best possible leader to succeed Tim and as he transitions to CEO we know his love of Apple, his leadership, deep technical knowledge, and relentless focus on creating great products will help lead Apple to an extraordinary future,” Arthur Levinson — Apple’s previous non-executive chairman — wrote in the press release.
According to the release, Ternus was “instrumental in the introduction of multiple new product lines” such as AirPods and iPads. He also recently contributed to the development of the newly launched MacBook Neo.
“Ternus led much of the company’s focus in areas like reliability and durability, introducing new techniques that have made Apple products remarkably resilient,” the press release read. “He has also driven much of Apple’s innovation in materials and hardware design that have reduced the carbon footprint of its products.”
In January, The New York Times reported that “three people close to the company” said that Apple began accelerating its planning for Cook’s succession in confidential deliberations last year.
“If you want to make an iPhone every year, Ternus is your guy,” Cameron Rogers, who previously worked on product and software engineering management at Apple, said at the time.
Ternus returned to Penn in 2024 as the School of Engineering and Applied Science’s undergraduate commencement speaker. During his remarks, Ternus advised the audience to “always assume you’re as smart as anyone else in the room, but never assume that you know as much as they do.”
“When I first got to Apple — it was my second job out of college — and the first time I walked through those doors, it was exhilarating and intimidating all at once,” he recalled at the time. “But I'll always be grateful I wasn't afraid to ask for help when I needed it.”
Ternus will be Apple’s eighth CEO and its third since Steve Jobs pulled the company from the brink of bankruptcy in 1997.
Staff reporter Luke Petersen covers national politics and can be reached at petersen@thedp.com. At Penn, he studies philosophy, politics, and economics. Follow him on X @LukePetersen06.
Senior reporter Amy Liao covers clubs and societies and can be reached at liao@thedp.com. At Penn, she studies philosophy, politics, and economics. Follow her on X @amyliiao.
