Tim Cooked and Now it's John's Ternus!

April 24, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Apple's CEO transition dominated this week's discussion on the Waveform podcast, where hosts Marquez Brownlee, David Imel, and Ellis Romain covered a packed Tuesday news dump without regular co-host Andrew Mangiapane, who's welcoming a new baby. Other highlights included Pixel feature teases, Android ecosystem drama, and accessory overkill.

Tim Cook Steps Aside for John Ternus

Tim Cook announced he'll step down as Apple's CEO in September, shifting to board chairman, with senior VP of hardware engineering John Ternus succeeding him. Cook, credited as a supply chain master, grew Apple from under $500 billion to a $4 trillion company post-Jobs, expanding services to a $100 billion "Fortune 40" business (30% of iPhone taps). Critics note less product inspiration under him—e.g., Magic Mouse "ergonomics," AirPods Max refreshes with reused H2 chips—versus successes like thicker MacBook Pros, Apple silicon, and ports over thinness.

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What you'll learn

1 (01:23) **Intro and Host Update** - Hosts note Andrew's absence due to new baby; preview busy news week
2 (03:00) **iOS App Bug Rant** - Discussion of Partyful event app glitch blocking keyboard dismissal
3 (04:48) **Tim Cook Steps Down as Apple CEO** - Tim Cook announces September exit to board chairman; John Ternus named successor
4 (06:12) **Apple Hardware Evolution Under Cook** - Praise for MacBook Pro redesign (thicker, ports, M-series) but critique of iterative updates
5 (09:13) **Apple's Product Strategy Analogy** - Apple as rare "banger" YouTuber vs. daily uploaders like Samsung/Google
6 (14:31) **Ternus Era Expectations** - Excitement for hardware focus but skepticism on big changes at $4T scale
7 (19:17) **Apple Services and Acquisitions** - Services now Fortune 40-scale; reluctance to buy (e.g., Peloton) to protect brand

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

This week, Marques and David are steering the ship while Andrew is out. So much happened including Tim Cook stepping down as CEO of Apple, Pixel laptop rumors, and Steph Curry kind of leaking the new Fitbit wearable. Of course, we wrap it all up with trivia. It's a fun one! Links: Verge - YouTube turning off Shorts Android Authority - Nothing statement about Warp Apple Newsroom Tim Cook steps down Verge - Huawei Pura X Max 9to5Mac - New iPhone colors rumor 9to5Mac - Pixel laptop and Pixel glow 9to5Google - Nothing deleted AirDrop competitor TechCrunch - Motorola sues creators This episode brought to you by: Framer: https://www.framer.com/waveform Hostinger: https://www.hostinger.com/waveform Shopify: https://www.shopify.com/waveform Follow us on socials: Marques: https://www.threads.net/@mkbhd Andrew: https://www.threads.net/@andrew_manganelli David: https://www.threads.net/@davidimel Adam: https://www.threads.net/@parmesanpapi17 Ellis: https://twitter.com/EllisRovin Waveform Threads: https://www.threads.net/@waveformpodcast Waveform Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/waveformpodcast/?hl=en Waveform TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@waveformpodcast Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/mkbhd Intro/Outro music by 20syl: https://bit.ly/2S53xlC Waveform is part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

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