Read Tim Cook and John Ternus' Internal Memos on Apple CEO Transition

Internal memos from Tim Cook and John Ternus to Apple employees have surfaced via Bloomberg, offering a closer look at Apple's broader leadership transition after the company announced that Tim Cook will step down as CEO, John Ternus will succeed him, and Johny Srouji will become Chief Hardware Officer.



The emails provide additional detail on the leadership handover. Cook, who took over from Apple co-founder Steve Jobs in 2011, reflects on his 15-year tenure and outlines his move to executive chairman on September 1.


In his corresponding note, Ternus details his immediate next steps. As part of his transition to CEO, he confirms he is stepping away from his hardware engineering duties effective today and introduces Tom Marieb as the new head of the organization. Marieb will report to Johny Srouji, Apple's newly appointed Chief Hardware Officer.

You can read the full text of both internal memos below.

-----

Tim Cook's Memo to Employees:
Team,


Fifteen years ago, my friend and mentor Steve Jobs asked me to step into the role of CEO. It was an emotional and challenging moment for all of us at Apple, and I hoped I'd be up for the awesome responsibility I was taking on. I knew then what I know now: that there are certain values embedded in Apple that are bigger than any of us; a belief in the simple, not the complex; a determination to innovate with a focus on those few things that are truly important to the world and meaningful to us; an impatience for anything less than excellence in every group in the company; a commitment to enriching the lives of those we have a privilege to touch with our work; and a resolve to do all that we can to leave the world better than we found it.

Those were the values that made Apple what it was then, and I am proud to say that they are the ideals that animate each of us today.

Today, we have a truly extraordinary road map, and I have never been more optimistic about Apple's future. That is why I have decided that now is the right time for me to transition to a new role of executive chairman. And I am thrilled to announce that John Ternus will be our new CEO.
Throughout the many years I've worked with him, and our many conversations about his becoming Apple's next CEO, John's passion and love for Apple shine through. He is a visionary in his own right, a man of remarkable integrity, and the kind of person we can all be proud to follow. John is the right leader to help us innovate into the future, to help us break new ground on big ideas and bold new pathways, and to ensure that the values that have made us so successful and so admired for the past 50 years will remain the core of our identity and our culture in the decades to come.
For my part, I will remain CEO through the summer and work very closely with John as we transition roles. In my new role as executive chairman, I plan to support John and Apple in a number of key areas and to be available to offer my experience whenever and wherever it is needed.

I want to offer my profound gratitude to the best executive team on the planet for your friendship and your brilliance over the years. And I want all of you, every member of the Apple team, to know how much it has meant to me to work with you. You are the most remarkable people in the world, and it's because of you that Apple is such a special place. What we built, we built together, and you are why I am incredibly optimistic about the future.

I know you will join me in congratulating John as we write this next chapter of Apple's story. We'll be hosting a town hall tomorrow in the Steve Jobs Theater at 9 a.m. to talk about this and more. I'm looking forward to it.

With gratitude,
Tim

-----

John Ternus' Memo to Employees:
Team,

As you've by now heard, Tim has announced that he will be transitioning into the executive chairman role, and in September, I will become Apple's new CEO.

It has been such a privilege to lead the hardware engineering team, to be part of such remarkable work, and to see all of you in action, determined as ever to do everything we can for our users. I look forward to working with you very closely in my new role. Needless to say, I still plan to be very hands-on.

As part of my transition to CEO, starting today, I will be stepping away from my role as head of hardware engineering. And I'm proud to announce that Tom Marieb will become the new leader of the organization. In that role, Tom's responsibility will be to deliver on executing a truly amazing road map. He will report to Johny Srouji, who is such a talented leader and is taking on an expanded role of Chief Hardware Officer, which will allow us to work even more closely together with the hardware technologies team.

As those of you who have worked with him know, Tom is an amazing leader and an incredible mentor to so many people. Tom cares so much about the user experience, and he has been relentlessly focused on making sure we're delivering at the standards to which we are always aspiring. I very much look forward to our continued work together.

I will have more to say when I see you in person. For now, let me simply say thank you for everything you've done — and for everything I know you will do. We have such important work ahead of us, and I can't imagine a more capable team.

JT

-----

Please download the iClarified app or follow iClarified on X, Facebook, YouTube, and RSS for more coverage on Apple's executive transition.