John Ternus has officially started his new role as Apple CEO, taking over from Tim Cook. Ternus, who previously led Apple’s Hardware Engineering team, has become CEO at an important moment for the company. Apple is preparing for its annual iPhone event on September 9. At the event, the tech giant is expected to unveil the iPhone 18 Pro and the iPhone 18 Pro Max. Alongside the new Pro models, the company may also introduce its first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Ultra. In his first memo to employees, Ternus praised Cook and also hinted at a strong pipeline of future products.
In the memo, obtained by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Ternus thanked Apple employees for their support as he began his first day as CEO. He also praised Tim Cook for his leadership and said he is grateful that Cook would continue to serve as Apple’s executive chairman.
Ternus said he is “honored” to take charge of Apple and described it as “the greatest company in the world.” He further talked about the company’s upcoming event. “We have a huge launch next week that’s going to be phenomenal,” Ternus wrote.
Also read: Who is new Apple CEO John Ternus? All you need to know about Tim Cook successor
Ternus made it clear that Apple’s plans go well beyond next week’s event. He said he was excited about “the incredible products already in the works” as well as future ideas that the company has yet to imagine.
“I’m just as excited about what lies beyond that, including the incredible products already in the works and the ones we haven’t even imagined yet that we’ll dream up and create together,” he wrote in the memo.
Also read: Tim Cook steps down as Apple CEO after 15 years, shares emotional post ahead of iPhone 18 Pro launch
On his last day as CEO, Cook wrote in a memo to employees that he took “enormous comfort” in handing leadership of Apple to “someone as brilliant and wonderful and capable as John.”
Also read: Tim Cook’s last day as Apple CEO: His 5 decisions that made the company what it is today