Apple is taking concrete steps toward succession planning, according to a new report from The Financial Times, raising the possibility that Tim Cook could step down as chief executive as soon as early 2025. The preparation marks the most significant signal yet that the world’s most valuable company is actively planning for a post-Cook era, more than a decade after he took the reins from Steve Jobs.
Sources cited by FT say Apple’s board and top executives are coordinating a transition timeline that would follow Apple’s January earnings report, giving a potential new leadership team several months to settle in before major annual events such as the Worldwide Developers Conference in June. While no final decision has been made, the accelerated internal discussions reflect a growing desire to ensure a smooth change at the top of the $4 trillion company.
Cook, now 65, became Apple’s CEO in 2011 and has since served longer in the role than Jobs himself. Under his stewardship, Apple’s market value has skyrocketed from roughly $350 billion to more than $4 trillion, cementing its position as a global tech giant. His tenure has been defined by operational excellence, supply chain dominance, and record-breaking financial performance. Yet the company has faced mounting pressure in recent years amid competition in artificial intelligence, where Apple has been criticized for moving too slowly.
The report highlights that no successor has been formally chosen, but insiders increasingly view John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, as the leading candidate. Ternus, who has overseen major hardware initiatives including the iPhone and Mac transitions to Apple silicon, is widely respected within the company and has been prominently featured in product launch events—often seen as a sign of elevated internal standing.
Still, Cook’s departure is far from guaranteed. He has previously hinted that he does not plan to remain CEO for another decade, but he has also shown no signs of slowing down publicly. Apple is entering a pivotal period as it works to sharpen its AI strategy, expand services revenue, and navigate regulatory scrutiny in the U.S. and Europe.
If Cook does step down next year, the transition would mark only the third CEO change at Apple in nearly 50 years—a shift that could reshape the direction of one of the tech industry’s most influential companie
