If you’re looking for the short answer: Tim Cook is still the CEO of Apple Inc.
He’s been running the show since August 2011, which feels like a lifetime in Silicon Valley years. Honestly, most people thought he might have called it quits by now. He turned 65 recently, and in the high-stakes world of Big Tech, that’s usually when the "succession" whispers turn into a full-blown roar.
But here we are in January 2026, and Cook is still the guy walking onto the stage at Steve Jobs Theater.
The story isn't just about a name on a business card, though. It’s about how a guy who was once called a "supply chain drone" turned a billion-dollar company into a multi-trillion-dollar empire. Even with the massive shift toward AI and the launch of the iPhone 17, the leadership at Apple Park remains remarkably stable, even if the rumor mill is spinning faster than ever.
The Man in the Center: Who is Tim Cook?
To understand who is CEO of Apple Inc, you have to look at how he differs from the legendary Steve Jobs. Jobs was the visionary, the guy who could see the future and scream at people until they built it. Cook? He’s the operator. He’s the guy who made sure that when you want a new iPhone in a tiny village in Europe, it’s there waiting for you.
Before taking over the top spot, Cook was Apple's Chief Operating Officer. He basically built the machine that makes the products. Since he took the reins, Apple's market cap has exploded from around $350 billion to hovering near the $4 trillion mark. That’s not just luck; it's a relentless focus on "operational excellence."
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He’s also steered the ship through some choppy waters. You've got the trade wars, the global supply chain collapses of the early 2020s, and the recent scramble to catch up in the AI arms race. Through it all, he’s stayed remarkably calm. He’s the "steady hand," and that’s exactly why the board of directors seems in no rush to let him go.
The Succession Drama: Is John Ternus Next?
You can't talk about the current CEO without talking about who might be next. For a long time, everyone pointed at Jeff Williams, the current COO. He was the "Tim Cook 2.0." But things changed. Jeff Williams actually retired from his COO role in late 2025 (he's now slated to join the Disney board in 2026), which opened a huge hole in the "obvious" path.
Right now, all eyes are on John Ternus.
He’s the Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering. If you've watched an Apple Keynote in the last few years, you’ve seen him. He’s younger (around 50), well-liked, and has his fingerprints on basically everything from the M-series chips in Macs to the new "iPhone Air" that everyone's talking about.
- The Pro-Ternus Argument: He’s an engineer's engineer. He understands the "guts" of the products.
- The Skepticism: Some insiders worry he’s a bit too conservative. There are stories floating around about him turning down funding for "moonshot" projects because they weren't practical enough.
There's also Craig Federighi (the "Hair Force One" guy), but most people think he’s too happy in software to want the nightmare of running the whole company. Then there’s Deirdre O’Brien, who runs Retail and People, and Greg "Joz" Joswiak in Marketing. But Ternus is the frontrunner.
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What the CEO of Apple Actually Does
It’s easy to think the CEO just stands on stage and wears cool sneakers. In reality, being the CEO of Apple Inc is a brutal job. It’s about balancing three massive plates at once:
- Supply Chain Mastery: Apple doesn't just make phones; they manage a global web of thousands of suppliers. One hiccup in a factory in Vietnam can cost billions.
- Privacy and Policy: Cook has made "Privacy" a core Apple product. He’s constantly fighting with governments in the EU and the US over App Store rules and data encryption.
- The "Next Big Thing": Under Cook, Apple launched the Apple Watch, AirPods, and the Vision Pro. Now, the pressure is on for "Apple Intelligence" to prove that the company isn't falling behind Google and OpenAI.
The "Tim Cooked" Rumors vs. Reality
Last year, the Financial Times put out a report saying Cook would be out by mid-2026. It caused a bit of a panic. But Mark Gurman, who is basically the "Apple whisperer" at Bloomberg, shut that down pretty quickly.
The word from inside Apple Park is that Cook is "deeply engaged." He isn't acting like a guy who’s counting down the days until he can go spend his billions. He’s leading the AI transition personally. Most analysts now expect him to stay at least through 2027, or even 2029, to ensure the "Apple Intelligence" era is fully baked before he hands over the keys.
Why It Matters to You
You might think, "Why do I care who the CEO is as long as my phone works?"
Well, it matters because the CEO sets the culture. Steve Jobs’ Apple was about "The Crazy Ones." Tim Cook’s Apple is about "The Sustainable and Private Ones."
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If John Ternus or another hardware-focused lead takes over, we might see a shift back to radical design changes. If a services-focused leader took over, maybe the iPhone becomes secondary to your subscriptions. The person at the top decides whether your next device is a revolutionary leap or a polished, incremental update.
Your Apple "Due Diligence" Checklist
If you're following Apple's leadership because you're an investor or just a hardcore fan, keep an eye on these things over the next year:
- The Annual Shareholders Meeting: Usually in February. Watch for any changes to the Board of Directors or "special grants" given to executives. This is where the breadcrumbs are hidden.
- WWDC Keynotes: Pay attention to who gets the most "stage time" besides Cook. If John Ternus is introducing the biggest features, the succession is almost certainly happening.
- The COO Role: Now that Sabih Khan has taken over the operations side from Jeff Williams, see how much public exposure he gets.
- Earnings Calls: Listen to who Cook defers to when the questions get tough.
The transition will be slow. Apple hates surprises. They want the handoff to be so boring that the stock price doesn't even move.
For now, the answer to who is CEO of Apple Inc remains the same as it has been for fifteen years. Tim Cook is still the boss. He’s still waking up at 4:00 AM, still reading customer emails, and still obsessed with the margins on a charging cable.
Next Steps for You:
If you want to see the leadership team for yourself, check out the official Apple Leadership page. It’s the most accurate way to see who’s currently in the "inner circle" and if any new faces have moved up to the Senior VP level. You can also track the SEC filings for Apple (AAPL) if you want to see exactly how the executives are being compensated, which is often the first real sign of a leadership shift.