Apple Faces AI Pressure as Tim Cook’s Leadership Questioned

* LightShed Partners analysts urge Apple to shift to a product-focused CEO amid growing AI concerns. * COO Jeff Williams’s retirement announcement has heightened leadership discussions and spotlighted potential successors. On July 9, 2025, analysts at LightShed Partners called for Apple Inc. to replace CEO Tim Cook, citing concerns over the company’s ability to compete in the artificial intelligence (AI) sector. In a client note, Walter Piecyk and Joe Galone emphasized that Apple needs a visionary leader skilled in product innovation and warned that the tech giant risks lagging behind competitors like Microsoft and Google. This critique arrives on the heels of Apple’s July 8 announcement that Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams, who was often considered a natural successor to Cook, will retire by the end of the year. His departure now shifts the focus to other potential candidates, including Sabih Khan, who will step into the COO role after Williams exits later this month. John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, has also emerged as a possible contender to replace Cook. Ternus is well-regarded for his expertise in hardware development, aligns closely with Apple’s focus on innovation, and is a popular figure within the company. Critiques of Apple’s recent AI strategy amplify the analysts’ concerns over leadership. After Apple unveiled “Apple Intelligence” to a lukewarm reaction at the 2024 Worldwide Developers Conference, industry observers described the updates as incremental rather than transformative. This tepid response has consequently fueled fears about the company’s ability to compete in a rapidly advancing AI landscape. As of 12:00 UTC on July 9, Nasdaq data showed Apple Inc. (AAPL) trading at $186.72, representing a modest 0.84% increase over the previous 24 hours.