[News] Apple’s COO Retires, Spotlight on Hardware Chief John Ternus as Cook’s Potential Successor

Apple COO Jeff Williams will step down from his position this month and fully retire later this year, the company announced Tuesday, according to Bloomberg. Williams was once viewed as a likely successor to CEO Tim Cook. With his planned departure, attention has now shifted to John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, who is regarded as the leading candidate to succeed Cook, ITHome reports, citing Bloomberg.

ITHome, citing Bloomberg, notes that it would make sense for a company known for its groundbreaking products to choose a CEO with a hardware engineering background. At the age of 50, Ternus also stands out for his potential longevity in the role, which may offer Apple a decade or more of stable leadership.

As Bloomberg indicates, Ternus joined Apple in 2001, initially focusing on external Mac displays. Over the next two decades, he steadily expanded his responsibilities—first overseeing the iPad line, then the Mac, AirPods, and eventually the iPhone in 2020. The following year, he was promoted to lead Apple’s hardware division. More recently, the Apple Watch hardware team began reporting directly to Ternus, shifting from Williams’s oversight.

Ternus has also been a prominent figure in Apple’s product launches, often appearing on stage to introduce new hardware at major events like the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC). For example, at the “Let Loose” event in May 2024, he presented the newly redesigned, thinner iPad Pro and iPad Air models, according to CEO Today.

Apple Names New COO in Leadership Shift

Meanwhile, Reuters reports that Apple has named Sabih Khan as its next COO, succeeding Jeff Williams in a leadership transition. A 30-year veteran of the company, Khan currently serves as senior vice president of operations and will assume the new role later this month.

Before joining Apple’s procurement team in 1995, Khan worked at GE Plastics as an applications development engineer and key account technical leader, according to Reuters.

In its press release, Apple stated that Williams will continue reporting to CEO Tim Cook while overseeing the company’s design team, Apple Watch, and Health initiatives. After Williams retires later this year, the design team will report directly to Cook.

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(Photo credit: Apple)