STARTUPS-VCApril 24, 20261 min read9 views

Tim Cook is stepping down. What happens to Apple now?

Tim Cook plans to step down as Apple CEO in September, handing leadership to John Ternus amid growing regulatory pressures and a shifting app ecosystem.

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.

Watch as 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.

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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