Tim Cook says he handed Apple’s CEO job to John Ternus on September 1, just eight days before the iPhone Duo was unveiled, on purpose. In an interview with The Independent’s David Phelan at Apple’s Battersea headquarters in London, Cook said the handover started years ago and that he wanted Ternus to have some “wind at his back”, explaining that Apple’s momentum is tied closely to its product cycle. He described the current cycle as a great one, with the Duo arriving in a few weeks.
| Topic | What Cook said |
| Why step down before the Duo? | To give Ternus momentum as the new CEO |
| How long was the transition planned? | It started years ago |
| Cook’s new role | Executive chairman |
| Main focus now | Worldwide policy and government relations |
| Advice to Ternus | Make the job your own, don’t mimic previous CEOs |
| iPhone Duo availability | October 23 |
The timeline lines up with what Apple has already said publicly. The succession plan was announced on April 20, approved unanimously by Apple’s board, and Ternus, previously the senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, took over on September 1. Cook said he wanted the handover to be a textbook example other companies could learn from, and that it has gone almost exactly the way he envisioned.
As executive chairman, Cook says his focus is policy and Apple’s relationships with governments, and that he helps Ternus whenever asked without interfering. “I’m not a meddler,” he said, adding that the two share a high level of trust and talk often. The advice he gave Ternus echoes what Steve Jobs once told him: don’t mimic your predecessor. Cook told Ternus to make the job his own and spend his time where he can add the most value, since every leader has different strengths.
The rest of the interview covered Apple’s new partnership with The King’s Trust, the charity founded by King Charles III, which aims to help young people build careers in creative industries, and Apple Music Hall, the performance venue inside the Battersea campus. Cook also pushed back on speculation about his health earlier this year, saying he was healthy and had plenty of energy when the transition was announced.
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M Adnan Akram is the founder and lead writer at Phoonomo, covering mobile technology with a primary focus on Apple and the broader smartphone industry, alongside emerging developments in AI. He follows product launches, spec leaks, and industry trends closely to keep readers informed with timely updates.
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