Apple fans are wondering if Tim Cook is stepping down in 2026, but insiders say something very different

Apple CEO Tim Cook

Rumours about Tim Cook leaving Apple have picked up again, but it looks like the buzz may be louder than the reality. Earlier this month, the Financial Times reported that Apple is preparing for Cook to step down as CEO as early as next year. The report suggested that Apple might wait until after its earnings announcement in late January before making anything public so that the leadership transition could happen calmly before WWDC in June and the annual iPhone launch in September.

However, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who has one of the strongest track records when it comes to Apple reporting, strongly disagrees. In his latest Power On newsletter, he said he would be genuinely shocked if Cook steps down anytime between late January and June next year.

Gurman added that based on what he has learned from his sources in recent weeks, there are almost no internal signs at Apple that point to Cook preparing to leave. He went as far as calling the Financial Times report premature and simply false.

The conversation around Cook’s successor is not new. Inside Apple, the name that comes up most often is John Ternus, the Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering. Ternus has been a prominent face at product launches and is widely viewed as the person most likely to take over whenever Cook eventually decides to move on. But according to Gurman, that moment does not seem close.

Cook, who turned 65 this year, has been running Apple since 2011. In that time, the company has not only become the most valuable in the world but has also expanded into new categories and services while strengthening its global ecosystem. Given this long and successful run, any suggestion that he may be preparing to step aside naturally draws attention.

For now, though, it appears that the speculation has run ahead of the facts. All indications suggest that Tim Cook is staying put, at least through the first half of next year, and possibly much longer.