On June 8, 2026, Tim Cook took the stage at Apple Park for the last time as Chief Executive Officer. On September 1, he will transition to the position of Executive Chair of the Board of Directors, with John Ternus taking over as head of the company. But before that — one more "Good morning."
A Video That Became a Farewell
Hours before WWDC 2026 began, Cook posted a short video on social media: familiar faces took turns offering him alternatives to the traditional greeting. Country singer Lainey Wilson suggested adding "Y'all," followed by appearances from Jimmy Fallon, Brett Goldstein from "Ted Lasso," Whoopi Goldberg, Harrison Ford from "Shrinking," Rea Seehorn, and DJ Zedd. Cook concluded the video succinctly: he thanked them for the ideas and said "I'll say it the way I always do: Good morning."
"I'll say it the way I always do: Good morning."
Tim Cook, video before WWDC 2026
This is more than just corporate PR. The WWDC 2026 theme is "All systems glow," and the stakes are personal for Cook: he doesn't want his long tenure to be forever associated with the failed launch of Apple Intelligence in 2024 and Siri, which for years failed to meet expectations.
What Was Really Decided on Stage
Apple unveiled a completely rebuilt Siri based on a custom Google Gemini model with 1.2 trillion parameters. The system routes requests across three levels: simple tasks are processed on-device, more complex ones on Apple's Private Cloud Compute servers, and the most difficult on Google's cloud via Nvidia Blackwell B200 GPUs.
At each level, Apple anonymizes and tokenizes requests — neither Apple nor Google can link a request to a specific user. This is a critically important point, considering that the deal with Google itself — Apple's former chief search competitor — is already an image risk for a company that has spent decades selling "privacy as a value."
Besides Siri, Apple announced a preview of homeOS — a new operating system for a future HomePad device: a HomePod speaker with a 7-inch display and an A18 chip. Developers received beta versions of six platforms: iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, tvOS 27, and visionOS 27.
A Legacy in Question
Cook has led Apple since 2011 — longer than Steve Jobs. During this time, the company became the most valuable in the world, but WWDC 2026 focuses on rebooting Apple's AI strategy with the long-awaited Siri based on Google Gemini — to close the artificial intelligence gap that had accumulated over years while competitors released real products.
The question is not whether the new Siri will work technically. The question is whether users will agree to pay a premium for "privacy" if the most complex requests still go to Google's servers — and whether this formula will change after Ternus comes with his own vision in September.
