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On September 9th, Apple will release its first major product video under new leadership. The man who opened such presentations for fifteen years will no longer appear in it. He would still be present, however – just in the audience.
The Apple event on September 9th marks John Ternus's first major appearance as CEO, and according to a report in Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman's weekly newsletter, Tim Cook will not appear in the pre-produced video. He is expected to attend the presentation as a guest at Apple Park. The newsletter, citing internal company sources, was accurate regarding the recent personnel changes: the reorganization of responsibilities, which it described at the end of August, was indeed included in Apple's leadership overview the following day.
Key Facts at a Glance
- Tim Cook is not scheduled to appear in the video for the event on September 9th.
- He would still be present, as a guest at the screening in Apple Park.
- The stage now belongs entirely to John Ternus and the foldable iPhone.
- The offices in Apple Park are also said to have already been swapped.
- Cook will remain with the company as Executive Chair, not as an external chairman of the supervisory board.
Why the first performance should belong solely to Ternus
A change at the top only has an effect when it becomes visible. If Cook were to appear in the video, the new CEO would be standing next to his predecessor during his first week in office – and the question of who is leading the company would be less clearly answered for viewers than in a press release.
Furthermore, the production of the events has already been reorganized. At the end of August, Phil Schiller relinquished responsibility for product events, which now lies with the communications department. The event on September 9th would therefore be the first to be produced entirely under new management.
The farewell has already taken place three times
Cook has said his goodbyes several times in recent months. In June, he stood on stage as CEO for the last time at the developers conference – we had already described the WWDC keynote in June as his last in this role, and this report confirms that expectation. The last conference call regarding quarterly figures followed at the end of July, and on August 31st, he sent out the news to employees.
A fourth appearance in the event video would extend this series without adding anything to it. That is the pragmatic reason behind the dramatic explanation.
The offices are also said to have been swapped
Behind the scenes, the changes are said to extend beyond the camera. Cook is reportedly vacating his current office in Section 7 of Apple Park and moving to other premises. Ternus, in turn, is said to be moving into the executive suite for the first time, away from the hardware development department – the very division he himself led until this spring.
What the compensation comparison conceals
Reports often compare Cook's new compensation to that of his predecessor as chairman: a base salary of two million dollars plus a stock package with a target value of 45 million for fiscal year 2027, versus directors' compensation of approximately half a million dollars for Art Levinson. The figures are correct, but the comparison is flawed.
Levinson had chaired the board as non-executive chairman since 2011. Like the other board members, he was compensated through fixed fees and stock options, not as an employee. Cook, on the other hand, holds the title of Executive Chairman, meaning he remains employed by the company and retains operational responsibilities - primarily, according to Apple's own description, liaising with policymakers. Levinson, in turn, has been Lead Independent Director since September 1. These two roles are not the same position with different compensation packages, but rather two distinct structures.
| Art Levinson until August 31st | Tim Cook from 01.09. | |
|---|---|---|
| Title | Chair of the Board, non-executive | Executive Chairman |
| Relationship with the company | Member of the Board | still employed by the company |
| Form of remuneration | Lump sums and share allocations | Salary and stock package |
| Role today | Lead Independent Director | Chairmanship plus political contacts |
The exact amounts for Cook and Ternus are detailed in the disclosure regarding the remuneration of the new management.
A signal that carries more weight than the performance itself
The fact that a departing CEO no longer appears in the promotional video is, in itself, a minor detail. More interesting is how consistently the separation is being carried out: stage, office, responsibilities, and titles were redistributed within a matter of days, even though the change itself was announced back in April. Our expectation, therefore, is that Cook will no longer be on stage at upcoming product launches – his visible role will likely be focused on meetings with governments and authorities, where Apple currently has a greater need. The documented basis for this is the division of responsibilities that Apple itself has outlined, as well as his track record over fifteen years, during which precisely these contacts were among his strengths.
If you watch the stream on September 9th from 7:00 PM onwards, you will see a video without the familiar face of the past fifteen years.
Do you miss this opening sequence – or is a transition only believable if the predecessor completely disappears from the screen? Let us know what you think of the cut in the comments.
