ring his tenure, he helped Apple’s market capitalisation grow from roughly $350 billion to over $4 trillion, while shares gained 1,932 per cent. However, despite these financial gains, many retail analysts have remained critical of his perceived lack of innovation, particularly in AI. After years atop the most valuable company rankings, Apple has lost its crown to AI chipmaker Nvidia, partly due to delays in its revamped Siri assistant and its reliance on Google for AI capabilities. This is where Ternus, a 25-year Apple veteran with decades of hardware experience, will have his work cut out for him. As Francisco Jeronimo, vice president of client devices at IDC, said, “Building great hardware is a well-defined problem. Building an AI platform that developers and enterprises genuinely adopt is a different challenge entirely.” Tim Cook’s legacy with Apple is one for the books There is little doubt Cook will leave behind a positive legacy, having driven extraordinary financial gains. In addition to leading the continued success of the iPhone and launching best-selling products such as the Apple Watch, AirPods and Vision Pro, Cook also navigated complex supply chain shifts and expanded Apple’s global footprint to over 200 countries and more than 500 stores. He also drove the transition to custom silicon, moving away from third-party suppliers such as Intel and toward in-house A-series and M-series chips, giving Apple greater control over its ecosystem. Cook will also be remembered as a leader who championed social justice and equality. In 2014, he became the first Fortune 500 CEO to publicly state he was gay, marking a turning point for LGBTQ+ visibility in global business. In an essay explaining his decision, Cook wrote, “I’m proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me.” At the time, Cook said he hoped his visibility would inspire others and promote equality in the workplace. “If hearing that the CEO of Apple is gay can help someone struggling… then it’s worth the trade-off.” A tough role for John Ternus Regarding Cook’s impact, Neil Saunders, an analyst at GlobalData, said, “The numbers speak for themselves. Tim Cook inherited a great company and made it considerably more valuable… The challenge ahead for John Ternus will be to keep Apple on the front foot in a more service-driven world where AI intersects with hardware.” Similarly, Brian Lange, co-founder and CRO of Future Commerce, argued that Cook was a great manager and businessperson. “But it goes further than that,” Lange added. “Cook may not have been a ‘Jobs-level’ innovator, but he introduced culture-shifting hardware. AirPods changed how we engage with audio. Cook led Apple to manufacture its own chips. How could you not consider him a generational tech leader?” What comes next for Apple Retail strategist Christine Russo, principal of RCCA, believes Cook’s departure signals a shift into a new era of technology leadership. “The smart ones are leaving the room… companies are welcoming new leadership for the AI age,” she said. Russo believes there are a few clear signals yet on Ternus’ direction, but outlined several possibilities, including a shifting focus to wearables and a stronger focus on chips. Watch other key appointments Sandy Carter, chief business officer at Unstoppable Domains, said attention is also needed on Johny Srouji, Apple’s new chief hardware officer. She noted Apple remains the only “Magnificent Seven” company without a frontier AI model – a growing concern. With Gartner forecasting that 33 per cent of enterprise software will include agentic AI by 2028, control at the silicon level will be critical. “Every frontier AI company rents compute. Apple builds its own,” Carter said. Ternus and Srouji have worked together for 15 years, forming what could become one of the industry’s strongest leadership pairings. In the meantime, Cook remains in charge as the transition unfolds – and the industry watches closely. Further reading: Apple leads shrinking global smartphone market