In its 50 years, Apple has had seven CEOs and when John Ternus takes over, he'll make the eighth. Here is a list of every CEO Apple has had:

1. Michael Scott (1977 - 1981): Prior to Apple, he was the director of manufacturing at National Semiconductor, a California-based company that made power management circuits.
2. Mike Markkula (1981 - 1983): He was Apple Computer's first investor and chairman.
3. John Sculley (1983 - 1993):  Prior to Apple, he was PepsiCo's president.
4. Michael Spindler (1993 - 1996): He was president of Apple International before becoming CEO.
5. Gil Amelio (1996 - 1997): Prior to Apple, he was CEO at National Semiconductor.
6. Steve Jobs (1997 - 2011): He co-founded Apple Computer in 1976 along with Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne.
7. Tim Cook (2011 - 2026): He joined Apple in 1998 and prior to being CEO, he was the company's chief operating officer.

Tim Cook is stepping down as Apple CEO and moving into a new role at the tech company. But while the executive's last name is indeed Cook, you'll see plenty of social-media posts calling the 65-year-old "Tim Apple." 

The nickname comes from a 2019 viral moment involving President Donald Trump and a White House meeting of the American Workforce Policy Advisory Board.

"You've really put a big investment in our country," Trump said, as Cook nodded. "We appreciate it very much, Tim Apple."

A year before that, Trump had referred to then-Lockheed Martin CEO Marillyn Hewson as "Marillyn Lockheed." But it was the "Tim Apple" moment that really took off, and Cook even briefly changed his Twitter name to Tim , using the company's apple logo.

So when Apple announced on Monday that John Ternus would become its CEO, the "John Apple" posts started to bloom.

"Out: Tim Apple. In: John Apple," wrote Sasha Talebi on Bluesky.

And Greg Pak wrote, "Wait a minute if tim apple leaves apple do they still get to call it apple or does he take his name with him?"

For the past 15 years, Arthur Levinson, the founder and CEO of the health research company Calico, has served as the nonexecutive chairman on Apple's board of directors. On Sept. 1, he will become the board's independent director, as Tim Cook takes on the role of executive chairman, Apple announced Monday.

"I want to thank Art for the incredible work he has done leading the board of directors for the past 15 years," Cook said. "I have always found his advice to be invaluable and I appreciate his thoughtfulness and his unwavering dedication to the company. I am grateful he will serve as our lead independent director, and I look forward to working with him in my new role."

Apple's incoming CEO, John Ternus, joined the tech giant back in 2001 as part of the product design team, having previously worked as a mechanical engineer at Virtual Research Systems. He has a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.

Ternus has risen through the ranks at Apple over the past 25 years, becoming a VP of hardware engineering in 2013 and then SVP in 2021. During those years, Ternus worked across many flagship devices, including the iPad, AirPods, iPhone, Apple Watch and, most recently, the MacBook Neo.

"John Ternus has the mind of an engineer, the soul of an innovator and the heart to lead with integrity and with honor," Tim Cook said Monday in Apple's post announcing the news. "He is a visionary whose contributions to Apple over 25 years are already too numerous to count, and he is without question the right person to lead Apple into the future."

According to Apple, Ternus is credited with improving the durability of Apple products, such as using 3D-printed titanium in the Apple Watch Ultra 3 and creating a recycled aluminum compound.

Ternus was last year tipped to be the frontrunner in the race to succeed Cook as CEO. He appeared during Apple's September 2025 event to introduce the iPhone Air. At 51, he's around the same age Cook was when he took over as Apple CEO.

"I am profoundly grateful for this opportunity to carry Apple's mission forward," Ternus said. "Having spent almost my entire career at Apple, I have been lucky to have worked under Steve Jobs and to have had Tim Cook as my mentor."

In a press release Monday, Apple announced that Tim Cook will continue in his role as CEO through the summer for there to be a smooth transition to the company's new CEO, John Ternus. But Cook won't be leaving Apple and instead will become executive chairman of Apple's board of directors to "assist with certain aspects of the company, including engaging with policymakers around the world."