Facts
John Ternus facts at a glance
A sourced fact sheet for John Ternus, Apple's CEO as of September 1, 2026. Age, full name, education, career, family, pay. Unknowns stay unknown.
John Ternus at a glance
- Name
- John Ternus (John Patrick Ternus in some biographical accounts)
- Current role
- Chief Executive Officer, Apple Inc.
- CEO effective
- September 1, 2026
- Age / birth
- Born May 1975 in California; 51 as of September 2026
- Nationality
- American
- Education
- B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, University of Pennsylvania, 1997
- Joined Apple
- 2001, product design team (about 25 years before CEO)
- Previous Apple role
- Senior Vice President, Hardware Engineering (2021–2026)
- Before Apple
- Mechanical engineer, Virtual Research Systems
- Known areas of work
- iPhone, iPad, Mac, AirPods, Apple Watch hardware engineering
- Board
- Apple board of directors, effective September 1, 2026
- CEO salary
- $3 million a year (SEC 8-K/A, Sept. 1, 2026)
- FY2027 equity target
- $55 million (performance- and time-based RSUs)
- Family / religion
- FT reported married with children; religion not published
- First CEO event
- Sept. 9, 2026 — unveiled iPhone Duo, Apple's first foldable
Direct answers
John Ternus (also John Patrick Ternus in encyclopedic accounts) is the CEO of Apple Inc. He took office on September 1, 2026, succeeding Tim Cook. He is an American mechanical engineer, born May 1975 in California, educated at the University of Pennsylvania (bachelor's in mechanical engineering, 1997), and an Apple employee since 2001.
This page is a fact sheet. The narrative biography is here.
Fact table
| Fact | Public record | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Full name | John Ternus; John Patrick Ternus in some bios | Apple uses the short form |
| Pronunciation | Wikipedia: /ˈtɜːrnəs/ | Encyclopedic |
| Current job | CEO, Apple Inc.; member of the board | Confirmed (Apple) |
| CEO since | September 1, 2026 | Confirmed (Apple) |
| Announced | April 20, 2026 | Confirmed (Apple) |
| Predecessor | Tim Cook (now executive chairman) | Confirmed (Apple) |
| Age | 51 as of September 2026 | Reported (May 1975) |
| Birth | May 1975, California, U.S. | Reported; exact day not used here |
| Nationality | American | Reported |
| Education | B.S. / BSE, mechanical engineering, University of Pennsylvania, 1997 | Confirmed (Apple); BSE styling from Wikipedia |
| Minor | Psychology (Daily Pennsylvanian) | University paper |
| College sports | Penn men's swimming; all-time letter winner | University / sports record |
| Senior project | Head-actuated feeding arm for people with quadriplegia | NYT; Daily Pennsylvanian |
| First employer | Virtual Research Systems, mechanical engineer | Confirmed (Apple) |
| Joined Apple | 2001, product design (July 2001 reported via LinkedIn) | Year confirmed; month reported |
| First Apple product work | Apple Cinema Display | Reported (including his own 2024 speech) |
| VP Hardware Engineering | 2013 | Confirmed (Apple) |
| SVP Hardware Engineering | 2021–2026 | Confirmed (Apple) |
| iPhone hardware remit | Around 2020 | Reported |
| Watch hardware remit | Late 2022 | Reported |
| Industrial design oversight | January 2026 | Reported (Bloomberg) |
| Family | Married with children | Reported (FT); names not published |
| Religion | Not stated | Unknown |
| Not published by Apple | Unknown | |
| CEO salary | $3 million a year | Confirmed (SEC 8-K/A, Sept 1, 2026) |
| FY2027 equity target | $55 million | Confirmed (same filing); performance-based |
| Net worth | No official figure | Not published |
| Hobbies | Cycling; car racing (Porsche / Laguna Seca; rally) | Reported (WSJ, Bloomberg) |
| Official bio | Apple Leadership | Primary |
| Encyclopedia | Wikipedia | Tertiary |
Full name
Apple's materials say John Ternus. Wikipedia and some news accounts say John Patrick Ternus. Queries for "John Patrick Ternus" and "John Ternus full name" / "middle name" refer to the same person. This site uses Apple's short form in headlines and notes the longer form in facts.
Wikipedia vs this site
There is a John Ternus Wikipedia article. Apple's canonical short biography is on apple.com/leadership/john-ternus. This website is independent of both. It is a synthesis with citations, not a mirror.
What is still not a fact here
Exact birthday, spouse's name, children's names, private email, private phone, high school, medical information, sexual orientation, and a single net-worth number.
Those gaps are listed so search engines and readers do not confuse "not on this page" with "we forgot." They are unknown on purpose.
Topic pages for each cluster
- Age: How old is John Ternus?
- College: Where did he go to college?
- Jobs: Career / CV
- New CEO query: Who is Apple's new CEO?
- Family: Wife and children
- Pay: Salary
- Email: No public inbox
Frequently asked questions
What is John Ternus's full name?
Apple uses John Ternus. Encyclopedic and some news accounts also give John Patrick Ternus.
Who is John Ternus in one sentence?
John Ternus is the CEO of Apple Inc. as of September 1, 2026, a University of Pennsylvania mechanical engineer who joined Apple in 2001.
Is there a John Ternus Wikipedia page?
Yes. Wikipedia maintains a John Ternus article. Apple's official short biography is on apple.com/leadership/john-ternus/.
Related reading
Sources
- Tim Cook to become Apple Executive Chairman; John Ternus to become Apple CEO (Apple Newsroom)
- Apple Leadership — John Ternus (Apple)
- John Ternus, CEO — Leadership and Governance (Apple Investor Relations)
- John Ternus (Wikipedia)
- John Ternus, Apple’s new ‘wicked calm’ CEO (Financial Times)
- Apple Inc. Form 8-K/A — CEO and Executive Chair compensation (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (reported))
- Penn alum John Ternus named next Apple CEO (The Daily Pennsylvanian)
Last updated 2026-09-11. Dates change only when the page is actually revised.