{"id":4187,"date":"2026-05-14T10:35:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T15:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/?p=4187"},"modified":"2026-05-14T08:35:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T13:35:10","slug":"apples-biggest-problem-may-not-be-the-iphone-or-ai-but-the-leadership-style-that-turned-tim-cook-into-its-safest-bet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/apples-biggest-problem-may-not-be-the-iphone-or-ai-but-the-leadership-style-that-turned-tim-cook-into-its-safest-bet\/4187\/","title":{"rendered":"Apple\u2019s biggest problem may not be the iPhone or AI, but the leadership style that turned Tim Cook into its safest bet\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Apple is entering one of the most important leadership changes in its modern history. Tim Cook will become Apple\u2019s executive chairman, while John Ternus, the company\u2019s longtime hardware chief, is set to become CEO on September 1, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For many people, the obvious question is whether Apple can move faster in artificial intelligence after delays around Siri and Apple Intelligence. But there is another question sitting right beside it: can Apple chase the <a href=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/nvidia-is-pouring-billions-into-photonics-to-speed-up-the-next-era-of-artificial-intelligence-and-the-technology-behind-the-bet-could-change-data-centers-forever\/2736\/\">AI future<\/a> without weakening the environmental promises that became a major part of Cook\u2019s legacy?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A handoff with real stakes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Cook\u2019s run at Apple is hard to dismiss. Apple says its market capitalization grew from about $350 billion to $4 trillion during his time as CEO, while yearly revenue rose from $108 billion in FY2011 to more than $416 billion in FY2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-element-a00da4e5\">\n<div><div class=\"gb-looper-46613eed\">\n<div class=\"gb-loop-item gb-loop-item-a8390598 post-4103 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-tech resize-featured-image\">\n<h4 class=\"gb-text gb-text-24a51617\">Also Read: <a href=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/apple-may-erase-one-of-the-iphones-biggest-pro-advantages-the-standard-iphone-18-is-rumored-to-jump-to-12gb-of-ram-for-ai\/4103\/\">Apple may erase one of the iPhone\u2019s biggest Pro advantages: the standard iPhone 18 is rumored to jump to 12GB of RAM for AI<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>That kind of growth changes a company. It also changes the size of its environmental footprint, from factories and chips to packaging, shipping, repairs, and the electricity used by millions of <a href=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/europe-is-already-looking-toward-the-post-usb-c-era-and-apple-and-samsung-could-take-advantage-of-an-unexpected-opportunity\/2482\/\">devices<\/a> every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ternus is not arriving from outside. He has spent 25 years at Apple and has led major hardware work, including efforts tied to durability, materials, repairability, and lower-carbon product design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">AI is the new pressure point<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Apple\u2019s next CEO inherits a company that is under pressure to move faster in AI. Reuters reported in 2025 that some Siri improvements were delayed to 2026, with Apple saying it would take \u201clonger than we thought\u201d to deliver more personalized features.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That delay matters because AI is now shaping phones, laptops, search, cloud services, and even the way people write a quick email before work. Apple can\u2019t afford to look slow in a market where rivals are trying to make <a href=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/micron-beat-revenue-expectations-thanks-to-the-ai-boom-but-wall-street-still-punished-the-company-and-the-reason-reveals-what-investors-now-fear-most\/2686\/\">AI<\/a> feel like part of everyday life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But AI is not weightless. The International Energy Agency says global data center electricity use was about 415 terawatt-hours in 2024 and could reach around 945 terawatt-hours by 2030, with AI as a key driver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Apple\u2019s green scorecard<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Apple has made real progress it can point to. In April 2026, the company said its <a href=\"https:\/\/www.apple.com\/newsroom\/2026\/04\/apple-accelerates-progress-with-highest-ever-recycled-material-in-its-products\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">greenhouse gas<\/a> emissions in 2025 remained more than 60% below 2015 levels, even as the business grew.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The company also said 30% of the material in products shipped in 2025 came from recycled content. Apple now uses 100% recycled cobalt in all batteries it designs and 100% recycled rare earth elements in all magnets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those numbers are more than a glossy Earth Day message. In practical terms, they affect the metals inside phones, the boxes that land on doorsteps, and the <a href=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/your-old-android-phone-may-be-the-free-wi-fi-repeater-hiding-in-a-drawer-and-the-trick-could-fix-the-dead-zone-at-home-without-buying-new-hardware\/2833\/\">old devices<\/a> people bring back instead of leaving them in a drawer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The carbon label problem<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Still, Apple\u2019s climate story is not perfectly tidy. The company\u2019s broader Apple 2030 plan aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 75% compared with 2015 before balancing remaining emissions with carbon credits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That last part is where things get tricky. In 2025, a German court ruled that Apple could no longer advertise its Apple Watch as a \u201cCO2-neutral product\u201d in Germany, after a complaint focused partly on the reliability of an offset project. Reuters also reported that Apple planned to phase out that label to comply with coming EU rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-element-d9aa7da6\">\n<div><div class=\"gb-looper-195ec203\">\n<div class=\"gb-loop-item gb-loop-item-a94b0c2b post-2482 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-economy resize-featured-image\">\n<h4 class=\"gb-text gb-text-4741ad59\">Also Read: <a href=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/europe-is-already-looking-toward-the-post-usb-c-era-and-apple-and-samsung-could-take-advantage-of-an-unexpected-opportunity\/2482\/\">Europe is already looking toward the post-USB-C era, and Apple and Samsung could take advantage of an unexpected opportunity<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>This does not erase Apple\u2019s progress, but it does show why the next CEO will have to make the climate math easy to understand, not just impressive on a slide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Ternus must connect hardware and climate<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Ternus may be well placed for that job. A hardware leader knows that environmental gains often start with physical choices, such as less raw material, easier repair, better battery design, cleaner manufacturing, and packaging that does not waste space in trucks or planes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Apple says it completed its move to 100% fiber-based packaging and avoided more than 16,500 tons of plastic over the past five years. It also says suppliers redirected more than 660,000 tons of waste from landfills in 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1800\" height=\"1013\" src=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/apple-leadership-transition-tim-cook-john-ternus-ceo-1.jpg\" alt=\"Tim Cook and John Ternus standing together at Apple Park, symbolizing the 2026 CEO leadership transition.\" class=\"wp-image-4192\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/apple-leadership-transition-tim-cook-john-ternus-ceo-1.jpg 1800w, https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/apple-leadership-transition-tim-cook-john-ternus-ceo-1-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/apple-leadership-transition-tim-cook-john-ternus-ceo-1-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/apple-leadership-transition-tim-cook-john-ternus-ceo-1-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/apple-leadership-transition-tim-cook-john-ternus-ceo-1-150x84.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1800px) 100vw, 1800px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">John Ternus, Apple\u2019s hardware chief, is set to succeed Tim Cook as CEO, inheriting both a $4 trillion empire and an ambitious 2030 climate goal.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>That is the less glamorous side of tech. No keynote crowd cheers for a smaller box. But these choices are where a company\u2019s environmental promises either become real or start to drift.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The clock is moving fast<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The trouble is timing. Ternus takes over in September 2026, which leaves just over four years before Apple\u2019s 2030 climate deadline arrives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-element-448cef3a\">\n<div><div class=\"gb-looper-c604b6d5\">\n<div class=\"gb-loop-item gb-loop-item-b011729d post-4066 post type-post status-publish format-standard has-post-thumbnail hentry category-tech resize-featured-image\">\n<h4 class=\"gb-text gb-text-602e48bf\">Also Read: <a href=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/your-bluetooth-headphones-may-sound-worse-than-they-should-the-hidden-phone-setting-that-can-unlock-better-audio-quality\/4066\/\">Your Bluetooth headphones may sound worse than they should: the hidden phone setting that can unlock better audio quality<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>At the end of the day, his challenge is simple to describe and hard to execute. Apple must make AI feel powerful, private, and useful while keeping pressure on emissions, suppliers, materials, and <a href=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/a-fourth-nuclear-plant-is-now-on-the-table-and-the-real-question-is-how-fast-the-next-energy-buildout-is-about-to-accelerate\/3668\/\">energy<\/a> use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If he gets it right, Apple\u2019s next era could prove that faster technology and cleaner technology can move together. If he doesn\u2019t, Cook\u2019s environmental legacy may become less of a foundation and more of a difficult promise left for someone else to defend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The official statement on the leadership transition was published on <em>Apple Newsroom<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Apple is entering one of the most important leadership changes in its modern history. Tim Cook will become Apple\u2019s executive &#8230; <\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more-container\"><a title=\"Apple\u2019s biggest problem may not be the iPhone or AI, but the leadership style that turned Tim Cook into its safest bet\u00a0\" class=\"read-more button\" href=\"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/apples-biggest-problem-may-not-be-the-iphone-or-ai-but-the-leadership-style-that-turned-tim-cook-into-its-safest-bet\/4187\/#more-4187\" aria-label=\"Read more about Apple\u2019s biggest problem may not be the iPhone or AI, but the leadership style that turned Tim Cook into its safest bet\u00a0\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4191,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tech","resize-featured-image"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4187"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4187\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4200,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4187\/revisions\/4200"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4191"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/okdiario.com\/techy\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}