Tim Cook Explains Why He Stepped Down as Apple CEO Before iPhone Duo Launch

www.macrumors.com

Thursday October 8, 2026 11:05 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

The Independent's David Phelan on Wednesday interviewed Apple's executive chairman Tim Cook at Apple's U.K. headquarters in the Battersea Power Station, and one of the topics they discussed was John Ternus taking over as Apple's CEO.

iphone duo feature
Ternus, who was previously Apple's hardware engineering chief, succeeded Cook as Apple's CEO on September 1. Cook said the transition "started years ago."

"It's been an interesting transition," said Cook. "We really set out to have the best transition ever, a textbook example that people could look back to and learn from. It actually started years ago. Obviously, these things are not quick things and I feel so great about how things are going. I think everything has gone sort of exactly the way I had envisioned it. And it feels fantastic. Because Apple deserved the best."

Cook said that he stepped down on September 1, just eight days before Ternus unveiled the iPhone Duo, in part to give Ternus some immediate momentum.

"I wanted John to have some wind at his back," said Cook. "And the wind at Apple is very much based on the product cycle. This product cycle feels unbelievably great. The Duo is coming in a few weeks and it's amazing."

Cook had the seemingly impossible task of succeeding the legendary Steve Jobs as CEO. Jobs told Cook not to make a decision simply because it is what Jobs would have done, and Cook said that he provided Ternus with similar advice.

"The advice I've given him is, make it your own job," said Cook. "Put your time in the things that you can add the most value to around the company. And that means don't mimic me. Just like I didn't mimic Steve. We all have different strengths."

Apple and The King's Trust, a charity founded by King Charles III, on Wednesday announced an "immersive new education program to help young people build careers in the creative industries," with more details outlined in our previous coverage.

Cook commented on the program in his interview with Phelan.

"It's a way for us to give back in a way that is uniquely Apple," he said. "There are a lot of ways to do philanthropic activities, but I think you want to do ones where you can give part of yourself... not just your resource, but part of yourself, and we have such great creative people in the company that can be incredible mentors to these folks."

Cook also touched on the new Apple Music Hall inside Apple's Battersea headquarters, describing the performance venue as "uniquely Apple."

"I'm not sure there's a lot of people that could do it, and there's certainly not a lot of people that would. Every detail has been thought through, the construction, the design, the technology behind it, spatial audio capabilities: it's the perfect place to perform, whether you're a top-tier artist now, or an emerging artist, one that's just starting out. And it's a commitment to live performance and the recognition that that is so important."

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