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Apple’s CEO Tim Cook has held a firm grip on the reins at the $4 trillion tech giant for 14 long years.
However, with his 65th birthday less than a month away, rumours have begun to swirl that the long–time leader might be preparing to step down.
Apple’s top leadership has been remarkably stable since Steve Jobs left back in 2011, but Mr Cook’s resignation could trigger a huge shakeup.
While there is no formal succession plan, a few key figures in the company already stand out as potential successors.
The person once considered to be next in line for the Apple throne was COO Jeff Williams.
Having spent a decade as Tim Cook’s right-hand man and leading the highly successful Apple Watch launch, 62-year-old Jeff Williams was viewed as the obvious choice to follow in Cook’s footsteps.
But that all changed in July when Mr Williams announced he would be giving up the top role and preparing to leave the company next year.
So, with the most obvious candidate suddenly out of the picture, here’s who else has been tipped to fill Mr Cook’s shoes.

Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, who is now 65, has led the $4 trillion company for 14 years. With his milestone birthday coming up, there has been speculation that a significant change in leadership might be imminent as Cook may consider stepping down.

Although Jeff Williams, Apple’s COO, was once thought to be the clear successor, the situation changed in July when he revealed his intention to leave the company, complicating the succession plan.
Based on the insights from Bloomberg analyst Mark Gurman, a source renowned for accurate reporting on Apple, John Ternus, the senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, is currently the leading candidate for the CEO role.
Since his start at Apple in 2001, Ternus has been instrumental in developing the hardware for nearly all of the company’s key products, including the latest iPhone models and the highly popular AirPods.
He was promoted to the vice president position in 2013, where he has been key in developing Apple’s own in–house chips.
John Ternus, at 50 years old, is positioned similarly to how Tim Cook was when he became CEO, offering the potential for stable leadership over the coming decade.
That’s a big advantage compared to other top leaders like head of AI John Giannandrea, who are largely in their late 50s or early 60s.
Picking someone with a highly technical background would also be a smart move for Apple, as the company has struggled to keep pace in cutting–edge tech.
Following a serious blunder with the poorly received foray into AI with Apple Intelligence, analysts expect Apple to focus on hardware rather than taking big bets on software.
If that does happen, Mr Ternus’s hands–on experience of pretty much every major Apple tech breakthrough in the last decade could make him the most obvious choice.

Industry analysts have suggested that the current senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, John Ternus (pictured), is the most likely successor

Apple has increasingly pushed Mr Ternus into the spotlight, having him present the iPhone Air at the last Apple Event and even greet customers at the iPhone 17 launch in the London flagship store on Regent Street (pictured)

Another natural choice would be Craig Federighi (pictured), Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, who has been a very visible figure in the company and often leads product presentations
With that in mind, Apple’s sudden move to push Mr Ternus into the spotlight might look like the company’s PR team grooming him for succession.
During the latest product launch, Mr Ternus was tasked with presenting the iPhone Air – the company’s biggest and most highly anticipated innovation in years.
And when Apple launched the iPhone 17 lineup in September, Mr Ternus was put in charge of welcoming customers to the London flagship store on Regent Street, while Mr Cook carried out the same role in New York.
Mr Gurman suggests this evidence puts Mr Ternus as the best bet for Apple’s next CEO.
However, there are a few other contenders waiting in the wings who all could have a shot at taking the top job.
One natural choice would be Craig Federighi, 56, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering.
Mr Federighi has been at Apple since 2009 and is an extremely prominent face within the company, frequently speaking at events and stepping up to promote products.
Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, Greg Joswiak, 62, has also been put forward as a possible successor.

Head of AI John Giannandrea (pictured) would have once been a strong contender, but after the disastrous launch of Apple Intelligence, Mr Giannandrea’s future in the company is in doubt

An outside choice could be Mike Rockwell (pictured), once considered Mr Giannandrea’s likely successor, who has recently taken over development of Siri and the Apple Vision Pro
Mr Joswiak reports directly to Mr Cook and has been with Apple since 1987, orchestrating the launches of the original iPad and iPhone.
Although he lacks the hands–on tech experience of Mr Ternus and Mr Federighi, his broader overview of the company could be seen as a safer choice.
Mr Giannandrea, 60, the architect of Apple Intelligence, once looked like a strong possibility for the role as Apple pivoted hard into AI features.
But, after the resounding disappointment of Apple Intelligence, it isn’t clear whether Mr Giannandrea will even be able to hold onto his current role for much longer.
Mike Rockwell, who had once been considered a successor to Mr Giannandrea, could be a more promising outside choice.
The software engineer heads up development of the Apple Vision Pro and VisionOS, one of Mr Cook’s pet projects, and is now taking over development of Siri.
However, Mr Rockwell may simply be too junior to step up to the CEO position against such fierce competition.
Apple has been contacted for comment.