According to several sources, the succession process at Apple appears to have accelerated, with John Ternus listed among the main candidates to lead Apple next year.
It is worth noting that this is purely speculation, as no official confirmation or denial has yet been shared.
Why Tim Cook Might Leave in 2026
The information comes from the Financial Times (thanks 9to5Mac). It appears that in recent weeks Apple has decided to speed up activities related to the potential departure of CEO Tim Cook. The departure is not yet official, and no concrete decisions have been made yet.
At the moment, the strongest candidate seems to be John Ternus, Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering. It is unclear what has caused this sudden acceleration, but it appears to be unrelated to the company’s performance (in fact, the opposite). In other words, Apple is looking ahead and preparing for the future as it should.
“People close to Apple say the long-planned transition is not related to the company’s current performance, ahead of what is expected to be a blockbuster end-of-year sales period for the iPhone,” the report reads. “The company is unlikely to name a new CEO before its next earnings report in late January, which covers the critical holiday period.”
This development comes shortly after the official exit of Jeff Williams. Recall that the Chief Operating Officer resigned in July, and his successor is now Sabih Khan. For many years, Williams was a trusted collaborator of Tim Cook and played a major role in Apple’s global supply chain. Now, all that remains is to gain greater clarity on Apple’s future plans and its change in leadership. What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.
