Apple insider reveals who could replace Tim Cook as CEO

Apple CEO Tim Cook
(Image credit: Apple)

Apple's executive team hasn't changed for more than a decade, but with many of the core leadership team being around Tim Cook's age (63 - albeit with great taste in shoes), the company may need to put a succession plan in place for when those influential figures step aside.

While Cook, Eddy Cue, Phil Schiller and Craig Federighi are all instantly recognizable, it appears Apple is already looking to a new generation of talent.

That comes via Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who notes in his Power On newsletter that John Ternus, Apple's senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, could be seen as a long-term successor to Cook. Ternus was seen at this week's "Let Loose" event showcasing the new M4 chip and the iPad Pro.

Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams could also be a candidate if Cook was to leave sooner, Gurman suggests.

Apple John Ternus

(Image credit: Apple)

Apple's potential reshuffles

Gurman also suggests who could be positioned to take over in other key areas of Apple's business.

This could include Jeff Williams, as well as his deputy in Senior Vice President Sabih Khan for Operations, while Priya Balasubramaniam is "a near-lock to be Apple’s next senior vice president of operations" and possibly a future COO, Gurman suggests.

In finance, Luca Maestri "has been grooming finance Vice President Kevan Parekh to eventually take over", Gurman says, noting that he already reports to Cook on important matters.

Other big names included in the lineup include Kyle Andeer and BJ Watrous on General Counsel, Sebastien Marineau and Jon Andrews for Software Engineering, and Kate Bergeron, Deniz Teoman and Eugene Kim for Hardware Engineering.

Johny Srouji could step aside when Apple's modem chip debuts, with Sri Santhanam and Tim Millet potentially stepping in to replace him, while Bob Borchers could move into Greg Joswiak's position if he moves, while Kaiann Drance could be seen as a marketing successor, too.

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Lloyd Coombes
Contributor

Lloyd Coombes is a freelance writer with a specialism in Apple tech. From his first, hand-me-down iMac, he’s been working with Apple products for over a decade, and while he loves his iPhone and Mac, the iPad will always have his heart for reasons he still can’t quite fathom. Since moving from blogging to writing professionally, Lloyd’s work can be found at TechRadar, Macworld, TechAdvisor and plenty more. He’s also the Editor in Chief at GGRecon.com, and on the rare occasion he’s not writing you’ll find him spending time with his son, or working hard at the gym (while wearing an Apple Watch, naturally). You can find him on Twitter @lloydcoombes.