蘋果公司上次更換執行長，是2011年賈伯斯（Steve Jobs）因為罹癌多年、身體狀況已經非常不理想，不得不在那一年的8月離開這個高強度的職位，2011年10月的蘋果發表會也改由庫克（Tim Cook）擔綱主講人。不過庫克10月4日才剛推出iPhone 4S，第二天賈伯斯便在家中與世長辭。15年後，蘋果在4月20日再次發佈高層異動的消息：庫克決定在9月的秋季發表會前卸下執行長職務，因此今年預定發表的iPhone 18將由特納斯（JohnTernus）負責主推。
在輝達（Nvidia）乘著AI熱潮成為全球最高市值公司前，蘋果公司很長一段時間都坐在這個寶座上。蘋果也是全球市值首家破1兆美元（2018年）、破2兆美元（2020年）、破3兆美元（2022年）的公司，全球破4兆與破5兆的首家公司則是輝達，分別是2025年7月跟10月。目前全球所有公司市值最高還是輝達（約4.9兆美元），第二則是蘋果（約4兆美元）。當庫克確定今年9月1日卸下執行長職務，蘋果公司也對全體員工發送庫克寫就的備忘錄，說明這項重要的人事案：
Team:
Fifteen years ago, my friend and mentor Steve Jobs asked me to step into the role of CEO. It was an emotional and challenging moment for all of us at Apple, and I hoped I’d be up for the awesome responsibility I was taking on.
十五年前，我的朋友兼導師史蒂夫·賈布斯請我擔任CEO。對於蘋果的所有人來說，那都是個令人感慨且充滿挑戰的時刻。我希望自己能夠勝任這項重大的責任。
I knew then what I know now: that there are certain values embedded in Apple that are bigger than any of us; a belief in the simple, not the complex; a determination to innovate with a focus on those few things that are truly important to the world and meaningful to us; an impatience for anything less than excellence in every group in the company; a commitment to enriching the lives of those we have a privilege to touch with our work; and a resolve to do all that we can to leave the world better than we found it. Those were the values that made Apple what it was then, and I am proud to say that they are the ideals that animate each of us today.
我當時就明白了我現在明白的事：蘋果蘊含某些價值觀，這些價值觀比任何一個人都要重要；我們相信簡單而非複雜的事物；我們決心進行創新，專注於那些對世界真正重要、對我們有意義的事情；公司裡的每個團隊都必須追求卓越；我們致力於通過工作來改善那些我們有幸影響的人的生活；我們決心竭盡所能，讓世界變得比我們接手時更美好。正是這些價值觀成就了當年的蘋果，我很自豪地說，它們至今依然是激勵我們每一個人的理想。
Today, we have a truly extraordinary road map, and I have never been more optimistic about Apple’s future. That is why I have decided that now is the right time for me to transition to a new role of executive chairman. And I am thrilled to announce that John Ternus will be our new CEO.
今天，我們擁有一份真正非凡的發展藍圖，我對蘋果的未來前所未有的樂觀。正因如此，我認為現在正是我轉任執行董事長的恰當時機。我很高興地宣佈，約翰·特納斯將擔任我們的新任CEO。
Throughout the many years I’ve worked with him, and our many conversations about his becoming Apple’s next CEO, John’s passion and love for Apple shine through. He is a visionary in his own right, a man of remarkable integrity, and the kind of person we can all be proud to follow. John is the right leader to help us innovate into the future, to help us break new ground on big ideas and bold new pathways, and to ensure that the values that have made us so successful and so admired for the past 50 years will remain the core of our identity and our culture in the decades to come.
在我與他共事的這些年，以及我們多次討論他成為蘋果下一任CEO的過程中，都能感受到約翰對蘋果的熱情與愛。他具有遠見卓識，是個極具誠信的人，也是我們都應該引以為傲的領導者。約翰正是能夠帶領我們不斷創新、開創新局面的領導者，他將確保那些讓我們在過去50年取得成功、深受尊敬的價值觀，能夠繼續成為我們未來數十年身份與文化的核心。
For my part, I will remain CEO through the summer and work very closely with John as we transition roles. In my new role as executive chairman, I plan to support John and Apple in a number of key areas and to be available to offer my experience whenever and wherever it is needed.
就我而言，我會在夏天之前繼續擔任CEO，並在角色轉變期間與約翰密切合作。在擔任執行主席的新職務上，我計劃在多個關鍵領域支持約翰和 蘋果，並在任何需要時提供我的經驗與幫助。
I want to offer my profound gratitude to the best executive team on the planet for your friendship and your brilliance over the years. And I want all of you, every member of the Apple team, to know how much it has meant to me to work with you. You are the most remarkable people in the world, and it’s because of you that Apple is such a special place. What we built, we built together, and you are why I am incredibly optimistic about the future. I know you will join me in congratulating John as we write this next chapter of Apple’s story.
我想要向這個地球上最出色的管理團隊表達最由衷感謝，感謝你們多年來的友誼與卓越成就。我希望在座的每一位蘋果團隊成員都能明白，能與你們共事對我而言意義非凡。你們是世界上最了不起的人，正因為有你們，蘋果才成為如此特別的企業。我們所創造的一切都是共同努力的結果，也正因為有你們，我對未來充滿了無比的樂觀。我知道，在我們共同書寫蘋果故事的下一章時，你們會和我一起向約翰表示祝賀。
We’ll be hosting a town hall tomorrow in the Steve Jobs Theater at 9 a.m. to talk about this and more. I’m looking forward to it.
我們將在明天上午9點於史蒂夫·賈伯斯劇院舉辦公開座談會，討論這個話題及其他相關事項。我非常期待。
With gratitude,心懷感激，
Tim 提姆
