Apple is always in the news! Whatever happens at the Cupertino headquarters does not merely stay there. With the entire world’s eyes on everything happening inside Apple, even the smallest changes, additions, or removals are scrutinized, reported, and speculated about in real time.
Lately, a popular point of interest about the company is its leadership. Rumours of Tim Cook stepping down as the CEO of Apple have been floating around for a couple of years. Last year, speculation about his retirement around his 65th birthday gained momentum, but while the birthday came and went, the role of CEO of Apple did not change hands.
Now, in 2026, fresh speculations about Apple’s leadership have begun. This time, attention has shifted toward John Ternus, Apple’s head of hardware engineering, who has reportedly taken on an expanded role that now includes overseeing the design department.
Ternus has been viewed as a potential successor to Tim Cook for some time, and this expansion of roles has only added fuel to the rumours. Many are connecting the dots, interpreting these changes as early signals that Apple may be preparing him for the top job.
A CEO of Apple must be someone who can balance engineering excellence, design leadership, and long-term product strategy at the highest level. From that perspective, Ternus’ growing influence can be seen as either careful preparation or a high-level test, or both.
Whether he ultimately becomes Apple’s next CEO remains an open question. For now, however, it’s clear that he’s being given the closest thing to a public trial run that Apple is willing to offer. His performance in this new role might end up defining his and Apple’s future.
