Tim Cook is stepping down as Apple CEO, passing the mantle to John Ternus. His tenure has been marked by 15 years of minimalism, leading to a multi-trillion dollar valuation.
An era is ending at Apple. After speculation about his departure since late 2025, CEO Tim Cook is officially handing over the reins to John Ternus. Ternus, who has been responsible for hardware at Apple, is expected to take over the position over the summer.
Tim Cook likely filled his role in the most Apple-like way possible: Not much radically new happened during his 15 years at the helm of the company, but Apple thrived immensely during this period. Cook succeeded in maintaining Apple’s leadership in the crucial smartphone category, a market Apple essentially pioneered with the iPhone.
Apple insiders are now placing their hopes on Ternus, the “hardware guy.” Perhaps this will finally lead to a truly new Apple product. However, anyone thinking this misunderstands Tim Cook and Apple. The core of Apple has never been simply about creating something new; it’s about doing things well.
Tim Cook’s Legacy: Less is More
Looking back at one of the most pivotal moments in Apple’s history: January 9, 2007. Steve Jobs stood on stage in his signature white New Balance sneakers, 501 Levi’s jeans, and black turtleneck, pulling an iPhone from his pocket. What he didn’t say then was, “I’ve invented something completely new.” Instead, he said, “Apple is going to reinvent the phone.” A subtle but significant distinction: Jobs was primarily focused on making things better, and also on what *not* to make.
Steve Jobs’ wife, Laurene Powell, told his biographer Walter Isaacson that they would discuss new furniture for up to eight years. “We spent a lot of time asking ourselves: What is the purpose of a sofa?” She recounted that a new washing machine was debated over dinner for two weeks.
This was the spirit of Jobs: In the 2000s, when tech products often sported a “Starship Enterprise” aesthetic—silvery, with as many buttons and functions as possible—he created products in white, largely without buttons, that simply worked. What was absent was as important as what was present.
iMessage, Record Profits, and AI Billions
After Jobs’ death, Tim Cook assumed the role of CEO. Initially, he seemed like the most uninspired successor imaginable. Not a visionary like product designer Jony Ive, who (inspired by Braun legend Dieter Rams) had designed the iPod and iPhone. Instead, there was Tim Cook, previously in charge of sales, supply chains, and service at Apple.
Cook never pulled a completely new product out of his hat. Instead, he took what was already conceived and made it better than anyone else. During his tenure, Apple launched the Apple Watch and AirPods—devices that set new standards for watches and headphones. In a way, Cook understood what was essential and what wasn’t. Under his leadership, Apple sold record numbers of iPhones and achieved record profits. The company transformed from a hardware manufacturer into an ecosystem where revenue is also generated through subscriptions, services, music, and cloud offerings.
Under Tim Cook, Apple also expanded iMessage—an encrypted, pre-installed messaging service that most users only notice because the text bubbles are blue, not green. This alone speaks volumes about the power of the Apple brand today. A study from the University of Chicago found that students in the US were willing to pay $31 per month solely to ensure their text bubbles remained “iPhone blue” when communicating with others.
What Cook Didn’t Do
Cook was not the inventor, but he built and expanded the business exceptionally well, always with the customer in mind. The Apple CEO gained attention not only for record profits but also for refusing to build technical backdoors into iPhones for the FBI or to unlock the iPhone 5c belonging to the San Bernardino attacker. Cook equipped smartphones with privacy and security features, including functions to combat app tracking and the Lockdown Mode, which protects against digital attacks.
Especially in recent months, Apple has stood out among Big Tech companies for not pouring billions into AI models with unclear revenue potential.
While figures like Mark Zuckerberg have stumbled from one scandal to another over the years, unsuccessfully attempting projects like the cryptocurrency “Diem” or the “Metaverse,” Apple under Cook has remained focused on the essentials: a company that works for both users and shareholders. With the motto “less is more,” Apple’s market capitalization during Cook’s tenure increased more than tenfold, from $350 billion in 2011 to over $4 trillion today.
After all the praise for the course Cook set for Apple over 15 years, it was difficult to witness Cook’s visit to Donald Trump at the White House last summer, presenting him with a 24-karat gold brick. Despite all his successes, perhaps it is time for someone else to take over. A “hardware guy” might not be a bad choice.
