Apple CEO Tim Cook steps down

Apple announced Monday evening that Tim Cook, one of the most powerful gay men in business, will step down as chief executive later this year and become executive chairman, elevating John Ternus to CEO.

Cook, who has led Apple since 2011 after the death of co-founder Steve Jobs, will remain in the role through the summer before handing off leadership on September 1, according to a company announcement. In his new position, he is expected to continue shaping the company’s long-term strategy and global engagement.

Apple said the transition is part of a “long-planned succession,” with Cook calling it “the greatest privilege of my life” to lead the company and expressing “complete confidence” in Ternus’s leadership.

But the handoff comes as some advocates have grown more skeptical of Silicon Valley power, questioning whether tech leaders, including those who are openly LGBTQ+, have matched public commitments to equality with their political influence and alliances.

The billionaire has tried to cultivate a positive relationship with the Trump administration. Although he has said he is “not a political person,” Cook presented President Donald Trump with a custom glass plaque mounted on a 24-karat gold base in 2025 and attended a White House screening of Melania, a documentary about the first lady, alongside other tech executives.

Under Cook, Apple became the first company to reach a $1 trillion valuation and later surpassed $4 trillion, while expanding into services, wearables, and new hardware categories. The company pointed to that growth when announcing the transition, crediting Cook with overseeing “extraordinary innovation” and building an ecosystem of products used by billions worldwide.

Cook’s leadership also carried cultural weight beyond Silicon Valley. In 2014, he became the first out gay CEO of a Fortune 500 company. While he has spoken out at key moments, including opposing so-called “religious freedom” laws seen as discriminatory, he has often stopped short of making his identity the centerpiece of his leadership. That approach has drawn both praise for its pragmatism and criticism from those who want more direct confrontation of anti-LGBTQ+ policies.

Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, has overseen the development of cornerstone products like the iPhone and Mac.

This story is developing.