Apple’s out gay CEO Tim Cook will step down and Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, John Ternus, will take over. Cook, who took the reins in 2011 after the death of co-founder Steve Jobs, will stay in charge till September 1st. After that, Cook will transition into the role of executive chairman of Apple’s board, where he will continue engaging with policymakers around the world. Apple said the transition is part of a “long-planned succession.”
But this shift comes among a growing skepticism over Silicon Valley and whether tech leaders, including those who are openly queer, have matched public commitments to equality while dealing with the political influence and alliances. Although Cook has said he is “not a political person,” under his leadership, Apple maintained close ties with the Trump administration. He presented President Donald Trump with a custom glass plaque mounted on a 24-karat gold base in 2025 and attended a White House screening of Melania, a documentary.
In the meantime, Apple has continued to manufacture iPhones overseas, despite a few threats from Trump to curtail the practice, and managed to secure major tariff exemptions. Under Cook, Apple became the first company to reach a $1 trillion valuation and later reached $4 trillion. In 2014, Cook became the first out gay CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Ternus, unlike Cook, has a limited political profile.
Federal records show his largest known political donation was $5,800 to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s campaign in 2021. The transition marks the end of an era shaped by leadership and visibility as one of the most prominent LGBTQ executives in global business.
