Featured image courtesy of Apple.

Apple’s new CEO, John Ternus, faces his first major public test today, September 9, 2026, with the “Surprise and Shine” event, where he is expected to present the company’s long-anticipated foldable iPhone. This keynote marks a critical moment for Ternus, who officially took over from Tim Cook on September 2, 2026, inheriting a company navigating both intense competition in hardware and a challenging internal narrative around its artificial intelligence capabilities.

Ternus, 51, arrived at the helm following a long career within Apple, having joined the design team in 2001 and steadily risen to lead the engineering teams responsible for Apple’s entire product lineup. His ascension to CEO, noted with a $3 million figure associated with his hire, was preceded by Tim Cook’s final memo on September 1, 2026. This internal promotion signals a continuity in leadership, yet also places the burden of charting new growth categories squarely on Ternus’s shoulders. As TechCrunch anticipated on September 5, 2026, observers are keen to see if Apple under his watch will maintain its focus on operational discipline, or push more aggressively into new product categories.

The foldable iPhone will immediately test Ternus’s leadership, especially given the escalating competition in this nascent but growing segment. Today, as Apple prepares for its event, Huawei launched its new Mate XT2 foldable smartphone. Huawei’s device unfolds twice to present a tablet-sized screen and incorporates its new Kirin 9050 Pro chip, setting a high bar for innovation and performance in the category. This aggressive move by Huawei, a key competitor in markets globally, intensifies the pressure on Apple to deliver a compelling product with high design standards and advanced technical features.

While hardware innovation takes center stage, Apple’s software capabilities, particularly in artificial intelligence, present a more complex challenge. Just weeks before Ternus’s keynote, on August 22, 2026, Apple made significant job cuts, eliminating over 200 positions across its Siri and Vision Pro teams, according to Livemint. This restructuring suggests a re-evaluation of its AI strategy, possibly aiming for greater focus. However, a recent review published today by Wired concerning the beta version of Apple’s revamped smartphone assistant paints a less optimistic picture. The reviewer, initially “enamored” with Siri AI, found that as the full release approached, they had “forgotten Siri AI even exists.”

This anecdotal but telling assessment highlights a persistent hurdle for Apple: translating advanced AI research into genuinely useful and sticky consumer experiences. Our own coverage from August 9, 2026, “Apple’s China Tech Adoption and OpenAI Legal Showdown,” also touched on the broader competitive environment Apple faces in AI, suggesting that its internal development is under constant scrutiny against external benchmarks and user expectations. The job cuts and the lukewarm beta reception indicate a disconnect that Ternus will need to address, particularly as AI becomes a defining feature of smartphone experience.

Today’s launch event gives Ternus a chance to set Apple’s strategic tone. His background as a product engineering leader suggests a focus on execution and design. However, the dual pressures of a highly competitive foldable market and the need to reinvigorate Apple’s AI offerings demand a vision that extends beyond incremental improvements. The decisions made under Ternus will shape Apple’s trajectory in critical technology sectors, influencing its global standing and how its innovations are perceived and adopted in diverse markets, including India, where device choice and AI utility are increasingly important factors for consumers and developers.

Who is Apple’s new CEO?

John Ternus, 51, is Apple’s new CEO, having previously led engineering teams for the company’s entire product lineup.

When did John Ternus officially become CEO?

John Ternus took over as Apple’s CEO on September 2, 2026, following Tim Cook’s final memo on September 1, 2026.

What is one major product challenge facing Ternus at his first keynote?

John Ternus faces the challenge of launching the foldable iPhone amidst new competition, such as Huawei’s Mate XT2, which was also launched today.

Compiled by Launch91 Desk from the sources linked above. More about Launch91.