According to 9to5Mac, Apple CEO Tim Cook turned 65 on November 1, immediately renewing speculation about his eventual successor. Back in 2021, Cook stated he doesn’t expect to remain at Apple through 2031, and later reports indicated he wants to oversee one more major product category before stepping down. The most obvious candidate for that product appears to be Apple Glasses, since Vision Pro is considered a niche interim device. Former COO Jeff Williams was long considered the heir apparent until he stepped down from that role in July ahead of his retirement. Current frontrunners include hardware engineering chief John Ternus, who has support from Eddy Cue, and new COO Sabih Khan, whom Cook has praised extensively.
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The Obvious Choice Is Gone
For years, this conversation was pretty straightforward. Jeff Williams seemed like the natural successor – he literally had Cook‘s old job as COO. That role gives you visibility across the entire company, and Williams had been Cook’s right-hand man for ages. But that all ended this summer when Williams announced he was stepping down. So much for the obvious pick.
Now the speculation gets interesting. And honestly, it feels like Apple’s playing this pretty close to the vest. Which makes sense – you don’t want another situation like when Steve Jobs was clearly ill and everyone was scrambling to figure out who’d take over.
The New Frontrunner
John Ternus seems to be emerging as the favorite, and the description of him is… telling. “Tim likes him a lot, because he can give a good presentation, he’s very mild-mannered, never puts anything into an email that is controversial and is a very reticent decision-maker.” That sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Basically, they’re describing someone who operates a lot like Cook himself.
Here’s the thing though – Apple is at a very different point than when Cook took over. The company is absolutely massive now, and the next CEO needs to navigate some tricky waters. Supply chain complexity, regulatory pressure, and finding the next big thing beyond the iPhone. Ternus comes from hardware engineering, which makes sense if Apple’s betting big on new hardware categories.
The Dark Horse
Don’t sleep on Sabih Khan. He just took over Williams’ old COO role, and Cook’s praise for him was… extensive. Like, unusually extensive. Cook called him a “brilliant strategist” who helped reduce Apple’s carbon footprint by more than 60 percent. That’s not just praising someone’s operational skills – that’s highlighting strategic and values alignment.
If Cook plans to stick around for another five years or so, that gives Khan plenty of time to become more visible and build his profile. The COO-to-CEO pipeline worked for Cook, so why wouldn’t it work again?
What About The Others?
Phil Schiller is basically out – he’s the same age as Cook. Craig Federighi might be the public face of software, but reports suggest he’s not in serious contention. Greg Joswiak doesn’t seem to be generating much buzz either.
So we’re basically looking at Ternus versus Khan. Hardware visionary versus operations master. Sound familiar? It’s kind of like the Cook-versus-Scott-Forstall dynamic from years ago, and we all know how that turned out.
What’s your take? Who would you bet on to lead Apple into the post-Cook era? Drop your thoughts in the comments below, and make sure to follow @9to5mac on Twitter and subscribe to our YouTube channel for the latest Apple analysis.
