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[ARTICLE · art-122547] src=techcrunch.com ↗ pub= topic=artificial-intelligence verified=true sentiment=· neutral

Apple’s Ternus era begins as Nvidia bets on the whole AI stack

Apple CEO Tim Cook has stepped down, handing the role to former hardware chief John Ternus, who promised a 'huge launch next week' in his first memo, with Cook staying on as Executive Chairman. Nvidia confirmed it will acquire Hugging Face for $12.9 billion, part of a broader strategy to own the entire AI stack, including a $3.5 billion investment in MediaTek and increased compute deals. The moves signal a shift in the AI landscape as Apple transitions leadership and Nvidia expands beyond GPUs.

read1 min views1 publishedSep 4, 2026
Apple’s Ternus era begins as Nvidia bets on the whole AI stack
Image: TechCrunch AI

It’s officially the Ternus era at Apple.

Tim Cook stepped down as CEO this week, handing the company to former hardware chief John Ternus, whose first memo promised a “huge launch next week” — timing that puts Apple’s next iPhone event on his desk before he’s even settled in. Cook isn’t going far, though: he’s staying on as Executive Chairman, focused on the kind of policy relationships that recently turned something as small as a map label into a very public balancing act. All of which raises an obvious question: what does the Ternus era look like, and how much rope will shareholders give him to figure it out?

On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec and Sean O’Kane unpack what Ternus is walking into, why he may actually be better positioned to make progress on software than hardware in this new AI era, and more of the week’s news.

Listen to the full episode to hear more about:

Subscribe to Equity on YouTubeApple PodcastsOvercastSpotify, and all the casts. You can also follow Equity on X and Threads at @EquityPod.

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