Apple announced on Monday that Tim Cook, who has served as CEO since 2011, will step down from the role, with company veteran John Ternus set to take over in September. This transition marks Apple's first CEO change since the death of founder Steve Jobs and comes as the company faces mounting pressure to demonstrate its competitiveness in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector, which is driving industry-wide transformations.

John Ternus, currently Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering, has long focused on design and products. He has spent nearly his entire career at Apple, working under Steve Jobs and receiving mentorship from Tim Cook. Ternus stated, "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. It has been a privilege to help shape the products and experiences that have changed so much of how we interact with the world and with one another."

Tim Cook, upon stepping down as CEO, will remain as executive chairman. He described leading Apple as "the greatest privilege" of his life. Separately, Johny Srouji, who has overseen Apple's custom chip and sensor designs, has been appointed chief hardware officer. These leadership changes occur as Apple navigates challenges in AI, potentially shaping the company's future direction in an increasingly competitive technological landscape.

Source: www.dw.com