Tim Cook & John Ternus Talk CEO Transition, Apple TV’s Legacy & Future At ‘Ted Lasso’ S4 Premiere

Apple's outgoing chief executive Tim Cook and his successor, John Ternus, appeared together at the Season 4 premiere of "Ted Lasso" in Los Angeles, marking Cook's final Apple TV premiere as CEO before Ternus formally takes over on 1 September. The pair, dressed in near-identical navy suits with Believe pins, discussed the leadership handover and reflected on Apple TV's growth, with Cook calling his 15 years leading the company "a privilege of a lifetime". The occasion carried symbolic weight, as Cook has been a vocal fan of the show since it launched and it became Apple TV's first major global hit.

Cook, who launched Apple TV in November 2019, noted the platform has just achieved a record 89 Emmy nominations, including six nods across Outstanding Drama and Comedy categories for shows such as "Pluribus," "Slow Horses" and "Shrinking." The premiere came in a week of milestones for Cook, whose CEO departure was announced in April: Apple shares closed at a record high, and he is due to hold his 90th and final earnings call on Thursday before moving into an executive chairman role. Ternus, a longtime hardware engineer at Apple, also expressed enthusiasm for the show's return.