- Tim Cook makes first public comments after announcing CEO transition
- He’s not disappearing
- Cook wants you to know John Ternus like he does
Has it only been 24 hours since Apple announced that Apple CEO Tim Cook would be stepping down in September and John Ternus would take over as CEO? Barely, but with just that much time to digest, Cook is finally opening up about the change, Ternus, and what it means for the future.
Cook, who is set to become Executive Chairman in September, made his first public comment on Tuesday afternoon X post. In it, he thanked everyone for the “outpouring of love” and belief in him. However, the most important part might be this line: “This is not goodbye.”
I want to thank everyone for the outpouring of love and thank you for believing in me to lead the company that has always put you at the center of our work. This is not goodbye. It’s a hello to John and I can’t wait for you to get to know him like I do! 🙏 pic.twitter.com/Q43QDG3UmZApril 21, 2026
Cook is not making a clean break with Apple, a company he’s long said he cannot imagine life without. Instead, he’s now making it clear that he plans to stick around.
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Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman added some color to all this with reports on what Cook, 65, said earlier today during an all-hands meeting in Steve Jobs Theater. “I am healthy. My energy is high, and I plan to be in this new role for a long time,” Cook reportedly told the group.
That meeting also answers the “why now” question. Gurman reported that Cook said in order for him to make the change, business had to be “great,” the roadmap ” incredible,” and Ternus “ready.”
Apparently, all that is true today. For Apple fans, the bit about the incredible roadmap is worth cheering. After all, that might include folding phones, AR glasses, and more innovation (play some more Apple Studios movies on par with F1).
In Cook’s post, he said that this isn’t goodbye, but a “hello to John [Ternus]”.
Put simply, Cook is ready to be Ternus’s Jiminy Cricket, close at hand with sage advice but without standing out in front.
No one knows how long Cook will remain as Executive Chairman, and some worry about Disney Bob Iger’s situation. Iger famously stepped down from the CEO post to become Exec Chairman, and then, when his replacement faltered, he was quickly brought back as CEO.
Cook made it clear during his speech, however, that there can only be “one CEO at a time.” He has no plans, it seems, to get in the way or come back, but, as he noted in his X post, Cook can’t wait for you to get to know John Ternus as he does.
Cook is unlikely to address the topic again before WWDC 2026 in June, and even then, it’s unlikely he’ll want to distract from the company’s big platform announcements. Still, how Cook and Ternus act during that developer event — who appears and carries the show — will speak volumes.
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lance.ulanoff@futurenet.com (Lance Ulanoff)
