According to Bloomberg, Apple is entering its most significant leadership shakeup in more than a decade, with several executives preparing to depart as CEO Tim Cook begins to shape the company's next generation of leaders. Jeff Williams, long considered a potential successor to Cook, will leave the company later this year, marking another major shakeup in Apple's top leadership.
One of the most closely watched figures is John Giannandrea, Apple's senior vice president of machine learning and artificial intelligence strategy. Giannandrea joined Apple from Google in 2018 and led Apple's AI efforts, including the launch of Apple Intelligence. However, his position "had been in limbo for years" due to setbacks in the redevelopment of Siri and internal debates at Apple over the direction of AI. Some of Giannandrea's responsibilities have been reassigned to Mike Rockwell, who previously led the Vision Pro project and is now responsible for improving Siri.
To bolster its AI capabilities, Apple is reportedly considering bringing in external talent, including a senior AI executive from Meta. Additionally, Apple's hardware division may see personnel changes. Johny Srouji, Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies and the executive behind the custom A-series and M-series chips, is "evaluating his future." Potential internal successors include Zongjian Chen, who leads the modem and wireless teams, and Sri Santhanam, who oversees processor design. Lisa Jackson, Apple's vice president of environment, policy, and social initiatives, is also considering retirement.
Cook may eventually assume the role of chairman, similar to the transitions Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and Larry Ellison made at their respective companies. The leading internal candidate to succeed Cook is John Ternus, Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering, who has a growing profile within the company and plays an increasingly important role in shaping product strategy.
According to foreign media, Ternus, 50, "fits the mold of a long-term successor" because he is the same age as Cook when he became CEO in 2011. Apple's board appears to be leaning toward selecting a technologist rather than an operations or sales executive as its next leader as the company seeks to revive innovation in areas such as artificial intelligence, mixed reality and home automation.
