Bloomberg Clarifies: Tim Cook Remains Apple CEO, No Imminent Exit
Rumors of Tim Cook stepping down are untrue. Apple shows no signs of leadership change, keeping focus on Vision Pro and hardware upgrades.
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Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman has no reason to believe that Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, is going to retire in 2026. This comes after a Financial Times article predicted Cook's early resignation next year, which created a lot of rumors about the future of the leadership at Apple.
In his most recent Power On newsletter, Gurman pointed out that he would be “shocked” if Cook left from late January to June 2026. Gurman's opinion is that Apple doesn't have any internal signs of a CEO change being so close. He declared, "The FT report is premature and simply false," assuring that the company will not change its leadership soon.
People working in Apple also confirm that no unusual actions have been taken nor done any preparations customary for an executive departure. Staff have not mentioned any signs of Cook retreating from the company and, therefore, the top management at the company is perceived as being stable.
Tim Cook, who has been with Apple as its CEO for 13 years now and is 65 years old, still keeps his hands vital in the company’s main decisions. He is responsible not only for the Apple Intelligence initiatives, but also for Vision Pro development, and continual hardware upgrades, among others, demonstrating his direct and personal leadership style.
The question of who might succeed Cook has been around for a while, especially as he gets closer to the age when many tech executives think about retirement. Some observers in the industry have pointed out John Ternus, who is the Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering at Apple, as the most likely internal candidate. Ternus has managed Apple hardware teams for years and is considered to be the company’s most reliable and trusted person.
Leadership change rumors commonly rise when significant events happen, like the upcoming Apple earnings report in late January. But, based on Gurman's forecasts, no immediate executive changes should be expected by investors and Apple fans.
At the very least, Tim Cook is likely to remain as CEO until the middle of 2026, giving Apple a steady hand during the company's next round of large product introductions and business expansion.
