Tim Cook surprised the world of technology by announcing his intention to step down from the general management of the Apple Group after 15 years of assuming the position, to be replaced by John Terrence in an effort to compensate for the group's lag in the field of artificial intelligence. This announcement came less than two months before the company's prominent annual event in early June, the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), during which Apple unveils the most prominent developments.

Published on: 04/21/2026 - 15:49 Last updated: 04/21/2026 - 15:53

Tim Cook expressed his intention to step down from the general management of the Apple Group after 15 years of assuming the position, to be replaced by John Terrence in an effort to compensate for the group's lag in the field of artificial intelligence.

It is true that Terence, who oversaw the development of physical products from iPhones to Mac computers, was considered the most likely to take over the reins of management after Cook left, but this step, which was announced in a brief statement, was not expected in the near term.

Terrence, who has worked at Apple since 2011, joins the company's board of directors, whose CEO is Tim Cook (65 years old).

Cook, who joined Apple in 1998, was appointed general manager of the group in August 2011 following the resignation of its founder, Steve Jobs, due to his health condition, following a pancreatic cancer that claimed his life a few weeks later.

Cook, who was born in Alabama (southern United States), put Apple on a path of rapid development without possessing the charisma that distinguished his predecessor.

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Between 2011 and 2025, the turnover of the group, which is headquartered in Cupertino (California), increased by 260 percent, and its value on the stock market increased 13 times, today exceeding 4 thousand billion dollars and becoming the third most valuable company in the world.

Tim Cook's fortune reached $2.9 billion, according to the Forbes magazine website.

Cook is particularly criticized for not launching any prominent product, such as iPod headphones and iPhones, during Steve Jobs' administration. The two main products that came to light during his reign were the connected watch “Apple Watch”, which was launched on the market in 2015, and the virtual reality helmet “Vision Pro”, which was marketed in 2024, and its sales were disappointing.

"Best company in the world"

However, Tim Cook excelled in his performance on other fronts, especially in the field of computer programs, which is at the heart of the group's work.

It contributed to the widespread spread of Apple services. This field, which includes the App Store, Apple Music and Apple TV video streaming platforms, and the iCloud cloud computing service, has become the company's biggest growth engine.

Apple Chairman Arthur Levinson, who will be succeeded by Tim Cook but will remain a member of the board, said, "Tim's exceptional leadership has made Apple the best company in the world."

Tim Cook also shined at the levels of negotiation and proactiveness. It allowed the group to avoid supply problems resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic without any significant incident and to confront the geopolitical turmoil last year, against the backdrop of the crisis between the United States and China, which is one of the group’s main markets.

Artificial intelligence bet

However, Tim Cook and his team lagged behind generative artificial intelligence, which rose to prominence with the launch of the “GPT Chat” service in November 2022.

Apple is lagging behind in this sector and has not yet been able to fully integrate artificial intelligence capabilities into its main product, the iPhone, which is still waiting for a new version of the Siri assistance service.

The decision to choose a new manager from among the family does not constitute a surprise in itself, as Apple attaches great importance to the unique culture that characterizes the company.

However, this announcement came less than two months before the company's prominent annual event in early June, which is the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), during which Apple unveils the most prominent developments.

Dan Ives, an analyst at Wedbush Securities, said in statements to Agence France-Presse, “Cook likely felt that the picture was now complete for transferring the reins of management before the conference,” describing the decision as “surprising.”

France 24/AFP

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