Who left Apple in 2026

Tim Cook → to Apple as Executive Chairman

Cook shifts from operator to elder statesman, trading daily execution for policy diplomacy and board oversight.

boardconfirmedSep 1, 2026MacRumors: John Ternus is Now Apple's CEO

John Ternus → to Apple as Chief Executive Officer

Apple hands its silicon strategist the keys, betting hardware discipline outpaces flashy model launches.

promotionconfirmedSep 1, 2026Apple Newsroom: Tim Cook to Become Apple's Executive Chairman, John Ternus to Become Apple's CEO

Tim Cook → to Apple as Executive Chairman

Closes a 15-year Apple CEO tenure while preserving continuity, a template other boards weighing AI-era leadership change may study.

boardconfirmedApr 20, 2026Apple Newsroom: Tim Cook to Become Apple Executive Chairman, John Ternus to Become Apple CEO

John Ternus → to Apple as Chief Executive Officer

Puts an engineer in charge of Apple's next artificial intelligence chapter, a bet on hardware-software integration over recruiting an outside AI star.

promotionconfirmedApr 20, 2026Apple Newsroom: Tim Cook to Become Apple Executive Chairman, John Ternus to Become Apple CEO

Ke Yang → to Meta as Researcher, Meta Superintelligence Labs

Showed Meta's Apple recruiting reached beyond one team, widening the damage to Apple's AI bench.

hirereportedJul 9, 2025PYMNTS: Apple AI Crises Deepen as Search Exec Ke Yang Moves to Meta

Ruoming Pang → to Meta as Researcher, Meta Superintelligence Labs

The most expensive individual offer reported in the two-year window, and the clearest sign Apple had become a supplier of AI talent rather than a destination for it.

hirereportedJul 7, 2025Bloomberg: Apple Loses Top AI Models Executive to Meta's Hiring Spree

Daniel Gross → to Safe Superintelligence Inc. as Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Marked Apple's earliest senior AI departure of the period, more than a year before its 2025 losses to Meta.

foundingreportedJun 19, 2024Wikipedia: Safe Superintelligence Inc.