On his last day as Apple CEO, Tim Cook offered a rousing endorsement of his successor: John Ternus, the company\u2019s senior vice president of hardware engineering. In a memo to employees, Cook reminded staff that he\u2019s \u201cnot leaving Apple,\u201d just stepping away from the role of CEO, while declaring that \u201cfew people understand what it takes to build products that change the world the way John does.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ternus\u2019 elevation to the top job suggests that Apple\u2019s next era will see a renewed focus on hardware and product execution. Under Ternus, Apple shipped a number of notable products, most recently, the new ultra-thin iPhone Air, the lower-cost MacBook Neo, and AirPods with hearing health features. He also led the hardware engineering team across Apple\u2019s full device lineup.<\/p>\n
Hardware will play an important role in the AI era, not only in terms of chips, but also the devices people use to run enterprise AI. Apple this year, for instance, offered earlier releases of its new Mac models, the Mac mini and Mac Studio, compared with years past, driven by AI demand.<\/p>\n
Cook\u2019s memo, reported by Bloomberg and others, naturally says little about Apple\u2019s future when it comes to AI, services, regulation, China, or the other challenges that lie ahead. Instead, Cook focuses on his gratitude for the opportunity to lead Apple and exalts the company\u2019s culture as ultimately what matters most.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe share a belief that what we build matters and that we have both the opportunity and the responsibility to leave the world better than we found it,\u201d Cook wrote. He also referenced the famous Steve Jobs quote about leaving a \u201cdent in the universe,\u201d saying that Apple makes that possible because of \u201cwho we are and what we believe,\u201d as well as \u201cwhat we value and how we see the world.\u201d <\/p>\n
Cook will remain at Apple as executive chairman and will continue to manage political relationships, including those with President Trump and the Chinese government.<\/p>\n
On X, Cook also wrote: \u201cSending lots of love to the Apple community on my last day as CEO. My title changes tomorrow, but the love I have for the Apple community never will. Thank you for being a constant source of inspiration. My gratitude is endless, and I\u2019m excited for the next chapter!\u201d<\/p>\n
The full memo is below (via Bloomberg):<\/p>\n
\nTeam,<\/p>\n
Today is my last day as CEO of Apple. This is a moment I always knew would come one day, and yet it is still hard to believe it has arrived and I am writing these words. I love this company and the team behind it, and I couldn\u2019t let this day pass without sending a note to you to tell you how grateful I am for the outpouring of affection you\u2019ve sent my way, for the way you\u2019ve shown up each and every day, and most of all, for the privilege of a lifetime serving as your leader.<\/p>\n
The truth is, whatever there is to say about my success, I know it is all because of you. You have brought out the best in me. In all my life, I have never seen or been with such an extraordinary team of people before, and every day I get to see more examples of that.<\/p>\n
There is something truly special about Apple. I am most proud of what an annual report could never capture. This place is proof that culture triumphs over everything. We share a belief that what we build matters and that we have both the opportunity and the responsibility to leave the world better than we found it. That purpose is part of what makes this place extraordinary. Apple helps nurture it, but I believe it lived within each of you long before you arrived here. It is what brought you to this company and what continues to drive the work you do every day.<\/p>\n
Together, we have created something far greater than any one of us could have imagined or accomplished alone. And that\u2019s the secret to our success. We bring out the best in each other. We lift each other up. We have made it possible to leave our \u201cdent in the universe,\u201d as Steve once described it, because of who we are and what we believe, because of what we value and how we see the world. How fortunate we are. How fortunate I am.<\/p>\n
As you know, I am not leaving Apple. But I am stepping away from a role that I have loved deeply. I will miss this work in ways I can only begin to imagine, even as I remain completely at peace with my decision. I will miss leading you and being with you for every step, even as I take enormous comfort in handing the helm to someone as brilliant and wonderful and capable as John. Few people understand what it takes to build products that change the world the way John does and I could not be more excited for his leadership.<\/p>\n
I hope you know how much I appreciate you and what an honor it has been to be your CEO. Most of all, I hope you will continue to be proud to be part of this remarkable place we call Apple and always give it your very best. When we bring our whole selves to this work, with care for one another and for the people we serve, there is no limit to the profound difference we can make.<\/p>\n
I look forward to seeing you in my new role at Apple Park and around the world.<\/p>\n
With all I have and all I am, I am always.<\/p>\n
Yours,<\/p>\n
Tim<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n
[analyse_source url=”https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2026\/08\/31\/tim-cooks-parting-message-apple-is-in-the-hands-of-a-product-builder\/”]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Apple-John-Ternus-Tim-Cook_Full-Bleed-Image.jpg.xlarge_2x.jpg?resize=1200,675″] On his last day as Apple CEO, Tim Cook offered a rousing endorsement of his successor: John Ternus, the company\u2019s senior vice president of hardware engineering. In a memo to employees, Cook reminded staff that he\u2019s \u201cnot leaving Apple,\u201d just stepping away from the role of CEO, while declaring that \u201cfew people […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[226,62],"class_list":["post-2120710","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-crawlmanager","tag-techcrunch-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2120710","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2120710"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2120710\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2120710"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2120710"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2120710"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}