Apple’s CEO Tim Cook has held a firm grip on the reins at the $4 trillion tech giant for 14 long years.

However, with his 65th birthday less than a month away, rumours have begun to swirl that the long–time leader might be preparing to step down.

Apple’s top leadership has been remarkably stable since Steve Jobs left back in 2011, but Mr Cook’s resignation could trigger a huge shakeup.

While there is no formal succession plan, a few key figures in the company already stand out as potential successors. 

The person once considered to be next in line for the Apple throne was COO Jeff Williams. 

Having served a decade as Mr. Cook’s second-in-command and successfully orchestrated the launch of the Apple Watch, Mr. Williams, 62, was perceived as the obvious successor.

But that all changed in July when Mr Williams announced he would be giving up the top role and preparing to leave the company next year. 

So, with the most obvious candidate suddenly out of the picture, here’s who else has been tipped to fill Mr Cook’s shoes. 

Apple CEO Tim Cook (pictured) has led the $4 trillion company for 14 years. However, as he approaches his 65th birthday, speculation about his possible departure has ignited rumors of significant changes.

COO Jeff Williams (pictured) was once considered Mr. Cook’s natural heir. Yet the succession question became more complex in July when Mr. Williams announced he would be stepping down.

According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, whose reporting on the company is usually extremely accurate, the top contender for the CEO position is the current senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, John Ternus.

Since joining Apple’s product engineering team in 2001, Mr Ternus has worked on the hardware for almost every major product in Apple’s current lineup, from the latest generation of iPhones to the hugely successful AirPods. 

He was promoted to the vice president position in 2013, where he has been key in developing Apple’s own in–house chips.

At 50 years old, Mr Ternus is the same age that Mr Cook was when he took on the top job, clearing the way for coherent leadership for at least the next decade. 

That’s a big advantage compared to other top leaders like head of AI John Giannandrea, who are largely in their late 50s or early 60s. 

Picking someone with a highly technical background would also be a smart move for Apple, as the company has struggled to keep pace in cutting–edge tech.

Following a serious blunder with the poorly received foray into AI with Apple Intelligence, analysts expect Apple to focus on hardware rather than taking big bets on software. 

If that does happen, Mr Ternus’s hands–on experience of pretty much every major Apple tech breakthrough in the last decade could make him the most obvious choice. 

Industry analysts have suggested that the current senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, John Ternus (pictured), is the most likely successor

Apple has increasingly pushed Mr Ternus into the spotlight, having him present the iPhone Air at the last Apple Event and even greet customers at the iPhone 17 launch in the London flagship store on Regent Street (pictured) 

Another natural choice would be Craig Federighi (pictured), Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, who has been a very visible figure in the company and often leads product presentations 

With that in mind, Apple’s sudden move to push Mr Ternus into the spotlight might look like the company’s PR team grooming him for succession.

During the latest product launch, Mr Ternus was tasked with presenting the iPhone Air – the company’s biggest and most highly anticipated innovation in years. 

And when Apple launched the iPhone 17 lineup in September, Mr Ternus was put in charge of welcoming customers to the London flagship store on Regent Street, while Mr Cook carried out the same role in New York.

Mr Gurman suggests this evidence puts Mr Ternus as the best bet for Apple’s next CEO.

However, there are a few other contenders waiting in the wings who all could have a shot at taking the top job. 

One natural choice would be Craig Federighi, 56, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering.

Mr Federighi has been at Apple since 2009 and is an extremely prominent face within the company, frequently speaking at events and stepping up to promote products.

Apple’s senior vice president of worldwide marketing, Greg Joswiak, 62, has also been put forward as a possible successor. 

Head of AI John Giannandrea (pictured) would have once been a strong contender, but after the disastrous launch of Apple Intelligence, Mr Giannandrea’s future in the company is in doubt 

An outside choice could be Mike Rockwell (pictured), once considered Mr Giannandrea’s likely successor, who has recently taken over development of Siri and the Apple Vision Pro 

Mr Joswiak reports directly to Mr Cook and has been with Apple since 1987, orchestrating the launches of the original iPad and iPhone. 

Although he lacks the hands–on tech experience of Mr Ternus and Mr Federighi, his broader overview of the company could be seen as a safer choice. 

Mr Giannandrea, 60, the architect of Apple Intelligence, once looked like a strong possibility for the role as Apple pivoted hard into AI features. 

But, after the resounding disappointment of Apple Intelligence, it isn’t clear whether Mr Giannandrea will even be able to hold onto his current role for much longer.

Mike Rockwell, who had once been considered a successor to Mr Giannandrea, could be a more promising outside choice.

The software engineer heads up development of the Apple Vision Pro and VisionOS, one of Mr Cook’s pet projects, and is now taking over development of Siri.

However, Mr Rockwell may simply be too junior to step up to the CEO position against such fierce competition. 

Apple has been contacted for comment.  

THE TRILLION DOLLAR RISE OF APPLE

1976: Founders Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne created the company on April 1 1976 as they set about selling computer kits to hobbyists, each of which was built by Wozniak.

The first product was the Apple I. 

1977: Apple released the Apple II in June, which was the first PC made for the mass market. 

Steve Jobs unveils Apple Computer Corporation’s new Macintosh February 6, 1984 in California.

1981: Jobs became chairman.  

1984: The Macintosh was introduced during an ad break for the Super Bowl and later officially unveiled during a launch event. It was discontinued a year later and Jobs left the firm.

1987: Apple released the Macintosh II, the first colour Mac.

1997: Apple announces it will acquire NeXT software in a $400 million deal that involves Jobs returning to Apple as interim CEO. He officially took the role in 2000.  

The then Chief Executive Officer of Apple, Steve Jobs, with the iPhone

2001: Apple introduced iTunes, OS X and the first-generation iPod.

The first iPod MP3 music player was released on October 23, 2001, at an event in Cupertino and was able to hold up to 1,000 songs.

2007: Apple unveils the iPhone. 

2010: The first iPad was unveiled.

2011: Jobs resigned in 2011 due to illness, handing the CEO title to Tim Cook. Jobs died in October from pancreatic cancer.

2014: Apple unveiled the Apple Watch. It also unveiled its first larger iPhones – the 6 and 6 Plus. 

2015: After purchasing Beats from Dr Dre, Apple launched Apple Music to compete with Spotify and other music streaming services. 

2016: Apple returned to its roots and announced the 4-inch iPhone SE. Meanwhile, the firm is embroiled in a legal battle with the FBI, involving the agency demanding access to the locked phone used by Syed Farook, who died in a shootout after carrying out a deadly December attack in San Bernardino, California with his wife. The court order was dropped on March 28 after the FBI said a third party was able to unlock the device.  

2017: Apple introduces the iPhone X, which removes the home button to make way for a futuristic edge-to-edge screen design and a new FaceID system that uses advanced sensors and lasers to unlock phones with just the owner’s face.    

Apple CEO Steve Jobs speaks at an Apple event at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, Calif.

2018: In a first for the company, Apple introduces new features in its latest operating system, iOS 12, that encourage users to manage and spend less time on their devices. The move was spawned by a strongly worded letter from shareholders that urged the firm to address the growing problem of smartphone addiction among kids and teenagers. 

2019: In January, Apple reports its first decline in revenues and profits in a decade. CEO Tim Cook partly blamed steep declines in revenue from China.

2020: In March, Apple closes all its bricks and mortar retail stores outside of China in response to coronavirus. 

2021: In an online virtual event in April CEO Tim Cook declared Apple’s goal of becoming carbon neutral for Earth Day. Later in the year the iPhone 13 was announced. 

2022: In September the iPhone 14 was announced. One of the new features included a new sensor to detect if a user had been in a car crash as well as an improved camera system. 

2023: Apple brought back its ‘Home Pod’ after the first generation was discontinued. The ‘Home Pod’ can be seen as an alternative to Amazon’s Alexa or Google Home as it is powered by voice commands. 

2024: Apple makes its first steps into artificial intelligence with the release of Apple Intelligence. The features are not all released at once with many delayed until the following year.