A new era is on the horizon for Apple. Tim Cook plans to step down from his CEO role in September, handing the reins to hardware chief John Ternus. Ternus inherits one of the most resilient businesses in tech, but faces a vastly different landscape than the one Cook shaped over decades. The App Store's 30% commission is under regulatory pressure, developer relationships are evolving, and the rise of vibe-coded apps is transforming what it means to build on Apple's platform.
On this episode of TechCrunch's Equity podcast, hosts Kirsten Korosec, Anthony Ha, and Sean O'Kane examine what this leadership shift means for startups. They also dive into the week's biggest deals, including SpaceX's option to acquire AI coding startup Cursor for $60 billion, with a $10 billion breakup fee. Other topics include Anthropic's controversial Mythos model, Amazon's $5 billion investment in Anthropic, and potential IPOs from Revolut and Cerebras.
Listen to the full episode for in-depth analysis.