GoKawiilApple discloses $58M pay package for new CEO John Ternus, $47M for Tim Cook
Apple's SEC filing reveals incoming CEO John Ternus will receive an annual compensation package worth $58 million, split between a $3 million base salary and $55 million in stock awards starting fiscal 2027. Tim Cook, moving into the newly created executive chairman role, will earn a $47 million package with a $2 million salary and $45 million in equity, split evenly between performance-based and time-based shares.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The scale of Cook's compensation as a non-CEO executive chairman signals Apple still sees enormous strategic value in his continued involvement, particularly in navigating politically sensitive relationships with the Trump administration and Chinese officials. Ternus's package, while large, is structured heavily around performance metrics tied to shareholder returns, suggesting Apple wants its new leadership tightly incentivized to sustain the company's market performance during the transition.
- Ternus's $58M package is mostly stock, with 75% of equity tied to Apple's shareholder returns versus S&P 500 peers.
- Cook's $47M executive chairman deal is unusually generous for a non-CEO role, reflecting his ongoing political and diplomatic value to Apple.
- Cook's prior CEO pay for fiscal 2025 was over $74 million, making his new package a significant pay cut despite remaining substantial.
Apple AirPods Pro 3 — John Ternus led Apple's hardware engineering before stepping up as CEO, and AirPods Pro are one of the marquee products of that hardware era. They're a compact way to get Apple's active noise cancellation and seamless pairing across iPhone, iPad, and Mac. A great pickup if you want to hear what Apple's hardware team has been up to.
See Apple AirPods Pro 3 on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: 9to5mac.com — Chance Miller, 2026-09-01
Published there as: “Here’s how much Apple is paying John Ternus as CEO, Tim Cook as executive chairman”
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