Tim Cook has stepped down as Apple's CEO. The company now enters what people are calling the Ternus era, led by John Ternus, who ran Apple's hardware work. Ternus's first memo promised a huge launch next week, which lines up with Apple's next iPhone event.
Cook is not going far. He stays on as Executive Chairman, focused on policy relationships. The hosts of TechCrunch's Equity podcast unpack what Ternus is walking into. They also ask why he may be better placed to make progress on software than hardware in the new AI era, and how much rope shareholders will give him.
π The Backstory
John Ternus has spent years inside Apple, most recently as its head of hardware. That job put him in charge of the chips and devices Apple is known for. Tim Cook, who took over from Steve Jobs in 2011, led Apple through years of growth and built it into one of the biggest companies on the planet.
Now Apple faces a new challenge: AI. Rivals have moved faster on chatbots and smart features, and Apple has been catching up. The Equity episode also touched on Nvidia and Tesla, as the wider tech world keeps shifting. The big question is whether Ternus can keep Apple's momentum while the industry changes.
π― Why It Matters
Apple's leader decides what your next phone, computer, and AI tools look like. A change at the top can speed up new features or slow them down. This handover will shape the tech in your pocket for years.
Tim Cook has stepped down as Apple's CEO. The company now enters what people are calling the Ternus era, led by John Ternus, who ran Apple's hardware work. Ternus's first memo promised a huge launch next week, which lines up with Apple's next iPhone event.
Cook is not going far. He stays on as Executive Chairman, focused on policy relationships. The hosts of TechCrunch's Equity podcast unpack what Ternus is walking into. They also ask why he may be better placed to make progress on software than hardware in the new AI era, and how much rope shareholders will give him.
John Ternus has spent years inside Apple, most recently as its head of hardware. That job put him in charge of the chips and devices Apple is known for. Tim Cook, who took over from Steve Jobs in 2011, led Apple through years of growth and built it into one of the biggest companies on the planet.
Now Apple faces a new challenge: AI. Rivals have moved faster on chatbots and smart features, and Apple has been catching up. The Equity episode also touched on Nvidia and Tesla, as the wider tech world keeps shifting. The big question is whether Ternus can keep Apple's momentum while the industry changes.
Apple's leader decides what your next phone, computer, and AI tools look like. A change at the top can speed up new features or slow them down. This handover will shape the tech in your pocket for years.