Tim Cook and John Ternus Discuss Apple CEO Transition at Ted Lasso Premiere

Tim Cook and John Ternus walked the red carpet together at the season four premiere of "Ted Lasso" in Los Angeles on Monday, where they spoke about Apple's upcoming CEO transition. Wearing matching navy suits with Ted Lasso "Believe" pins, the outgoing and incoming CEOs reflected on the leadership handoff during a joint interview.



The premiere marked Cook's final Apple TV premiere as CEO. Apple announced in April that Ternus, who has led hardware engineering since 2021, will take over daily operations on September 1 while Cook becomes executive chairman.


In an interview with Deadline, Cook reflected on his 15 years as CEO, saying, "I feel so much gratitude to have been the CEO of Apple for 15 years and to work with all of the people that I get to work with, it's a privilege of a lifetime."

He also offered an enthusiastic endorsement of his successor. "It's over the top great. John is the perfect person for this role, and the whole thing has just been great — the employee piece, the investor piece, everything," Cook said. He added, "We really wanted this transition to be the best because Apple deserves the best," saying he and Ternus had worked together to make that happen.

For Ternus, who joined Apple 25 years ago, becoming CEO is still sinking in.

"It's amazing. I mean, what an incredible opportunity! It's so exciting for me. I've been at Apple for 25 years, I love Apple, and to have this opportunity is beyond words."


Asked whether he planned any changes for Apple TV after becoming CEO, Ternus instead praised the service's momentum and said Apple would continue working with "incredible storytellers and creative folks" to keep improving it. Pressed on what his first action as CEO would be on September 1, he smiled and replied, "You have to wait and see."

The conversation also turned to Ted Lasso itself. Asked whether he had anything to do with the show's return for a fourth season, Cook joked, "You don't have to thank me for it, but I was praying for it," adding that he was "so excited that it's back." Ternus said he also loves the series, calling it "such an amazing story" with "an amazing message of optimism and hope."

Asked what they had been watching on Apple TV recently, Ternus highlighted "Silo" and "Lucky," while Cook mentioned "Widow's Bay," "Pluribus," and "Silo." Cook also confirmed he plans to watch the new season of Ted Lasso on Apple Vision Pro, just as he did with season three, saying "there's nothing quite like that."