STARTUPS-VCApril 24, 20261 min read8 views

Apple’s new CEO, and why Elon Musk wants to buy Cursor for $60B

Apple prepares for a leadership transition as Tim Cook steps down, while Elon Musk's SpaceX makes a massive $60 billion move for the AI coding tool Cursor.

A new era is on the way for Apple as Tim Cook plans to step down from his CEO role in September, handing the reins to hardware chief John Ternus.

Ternus may be inheriting one of the most durable businesses in tech, but he’s also stepping into a very different ecosystem than the one Cook spent decades shaping. The App Store’s 30% cut is under pressure, the behind-the-scenes power Apple once held over developers is being challenged, and vibe-coded apps are changing what it means to build on Apple’s platform.

On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, and Sean O’Kane dig into what this transition means for startups and a closer look at some of the week’s biggest deals — including SpaceX’s $60B option on Cursor.

Listen to the full episode to hear about:

Why Anthropic’s Mythos model is raising questions about both safety and marketing
The $5 billion Amazon-Anthropic deal that looks a lot like other circular AI infrastructure plays
What the SpaceX-Cursor agreement (and that $10 billion breakup fee) says about Elon Musk’s AI strategy post-xAI merger
Why fintech Revolut and AI chip startup Cerebras‘ public market plans have us wondering whether this is actually the year the IPO market reopens

Subscribe to Equity on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod.

Source: TechCrunch Startups

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