CEO turnover rises as long-serving leaders depart

April 23, 2026

Summary

Apple’s CEO change comes as CEO turnover stayed high and outgoing leaders’ tenure increased, according to Russell Reynolds data.

Why this matters

The story points to a broader shift in corporate leadership, not just Apple’s succession plan. For investors and employees, it signals that more large companies may face leadership changes as businesses adapt to artificial intelligence, labor market changes, and other pressures.

Tim Cook said this week that he planned to step down as Apple chief executive, amid historically high rates of CEO turnover.

Data from consultancy Russell Reynolds showed 77 incoming CEOs were named in the first quarter of 2026 across the 13 indexes it tracks, including the S&P 500, FTSE 100, and Germany’s DAX 40. The firm said that was the highest first-quarter total since at least 2018. In 2025, CEO departures reached a record high.

Ryan Roslansky also stepped down as LinkedIn’s chief executive on Wednesday after six years leading the professional networking platform. Chief Operating Officer Dan Shapero took over immediately.

Cook will leave Apple after 15 years as CEO. Russell Reynolds said the tenure of outgoing CEOs in the U.S. rose to 11.8 years in the last year, from 8.3 years in 2025.

Long-serving executives who left their companies in the first quarter included Doug McMillon at Walmart, who had been CEO since 2014, and Warren Buffett, who had been CEO of Berkshire Hathaway since 1970.

Other recent high-profile CEO changes included Josh D’Amaro succeeding Bob Iger at Disney, Michael Fiddelke succeeding Brian Cornell at Target, and Dan Schulman replacing Hans Vestberg at Verizon.

Companies are managing a range of pressures, including the impact of artificial intelligence on business operations, a softer labor market, and changing expectations around workplace benefits such as parental leave.

More top news

Africa

Tuareg rebels say Russian force withdrew from Kidal

Kidal, a Tuareg stronghold, was retaken in November 2023 by Malian forces backed by Wagner, ending more than a decade of rebel control.

Full story +

Fresh fighting broke out Sunday in Kidal, Mali, a day after coordinated attacks by jihadist and rebel groups across the country.

Tuareg rebels from the Azawad Liberation Front said a deal had been reached for Malian forces and their Russian allies to leave Kidal.

The Africa Corps, which is under the Russian Defense Ministry, took over much of the Wagner Group’s Africa operations after founder Yevgeny Prigozhin died in 2023. The group has supported Mali’s junta in fighting jihadists.

Mali’s government said Sunday that Defense Minister Sadio Camara was killed in an insurgent attack Saturday. Government spokesman Issa Ousmane Coulibaly said on state television that assailants targeted Camara’s house.

Fighting also broke out Sunday in Kati, a junta stronghold near Bamako, residents said.

The government said Saturday’s attacks wounded 16 civilians and soldiers and caused “limited material damage.” It said “the situation is totally under control in all the localities” that were attacked.

Mali has faced conflict and jihadist violence for more than a decade. Its military rulers, like those in neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso, have cut ties with France and several Western countries and moved closer to Russia.
Personal Finance

Gold Holds Steady as U.S.-Iran Talks Remain Stalled

Oil rose Monday, with Hormuz largely blocked by measures imposed by both countries.

Full story +

Gold was little changed Monday as efforts to restart U.S.-Iran peace talks remained stalled and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz stayed disrupted two months into a war that has unsettled global markets and increased inflation concerns.

Bullion traded in a narrow range above $4,700 an ounce after outlets reported that Iran had given the U.S. a new proposal to reopen the strait while delaying negotiations on its nuclear program. Over the weekend, President Donald Trump canceled a planned trip by top envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff to Pakistan, while Tehran said it would not negotiate while facing threats.
World

Iran Proposal Sought Strait Reopening, Talk Delay

The proposal called for extending the ceasefire while the sides worked toward a permanent end to the fighting. Nuclear talks would be postponed until after a U.S. blockade of the Strait of Hormuz was lifted.

Full story +

Iran gave the U.S. a new proposal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and delay nuclear negotiations, Axios reported, citing a U.S. official and two people familiar with the matter.

According to Axios, Iran sent the plan through Pakistani mediators to try to break a stalemate with Washington.

Pakistani mediators had delivered the proposal to the White House, but it was unclear whether the U.S. would pursue it. President Donald Trump planned to meet Monday in the White House Situation Room with national security and foreign policy officials.

Efforts to restart talks stalled over the weekend after Trump canceled a planned trip by his top envoys, and Iran said it would not negotiate while it was being threatened.

Trump said Saturday that Iran had quickly sent a new proposal after he told his envoys not to travel to Pakistan for talks.

“Interestingly, immediately, when I canceled it, within 10 minutes, we got a new paper that was much better,” Trump told reporters. Iran “offered a lot but not enough,” he added, without providing details.

A ceasefire had largely held since early April, but both countries continued to maintain a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, leaving the energy chokepoint largely impassable. The disruption to about a fifth of global oil flows was described by the International Energy Agency as the biggest supply shock in history.
World

China warns of response to EU ‘Made in Europe’ plan

The proposal is part of a broader European Union effort to strengthen competitiveness, address industrial decline, and protect jobs.

Full story +

China said Monday it opposed a European Union proposal that would require companies seeking public funding in some strategic sectors to meet minimum thresholds for parts made in the bloc.

The European Union unveiled the proposed “Made in Europe” rules in March for sectors including cars, green technology, and steel. The plan, formally known as the Industrial Accelerator Act, was delayed for months amid disagreements over the measures.

China’s Commerce Ministry said it had submitted comments to the European Commission on Friday and expressed what it called “serious concerns” about the act, describing it as “systemic discrimination.”

European businesses in several affected sectors have said they face unfair competition from Chinese rivals that they say benefit from heavy state subsidies.

The proposal would require some foreign companies to partner with European firms and transfer technological know-how when establishing operations in the bloc. The measure would implicitly affect Chinese battery and electric-vehicle makers.

The Chinese Chamber of Commerce to the European Union said this month that the plan marked a shift toward protectionism and would affect trade cooperation between the European Union and China.
World

Iran foreign minister returns to Pakistan amid talks

Two Pakistani officials did not say when U.S. officials might return to the region after face-to-face talks earlier this month.

Full story +

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Iran’s foreign minister returned to Islamabad on Sunday as Pakistan tried to revive ceasefire talks between Tehran and Washington.

Abbas Araghchi had left Pakistan’s capital late Saturday, raising questions about a second round of talks, but Iranian state media said he returned before continuing to Moscow. He had also been in Oman, which previously mediated talks and sits across the Strait of Hormuz.

The White House said Friday it would send envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner to Islamabad. But after Araghchi’s departure was reported, President Donald Trump said he had canceled the trip because of a lack of progress with Iran.

“If they want, we can talk but we’re not sending people,” Trump told Fox News on Sunday.

Trump last week indefinitely extended the ceasefire the United States and Iran agreed to on April 7, which has largely halted fighting that began with joint U.S.-Israeli strikes on Feb. 28. A permanent settlement remains unresolved.

Trump said Saturday that within 10 minutes of canceling the envoys’ trip, Iran sent a “much better” proposal. He did not provide details, but said Iran “will not have a nuclear weapon.”

According to the United Nations nuclear watchdog, Tehran has 440 kilograms (972 pounds) of uranium enriched to 60% purity, a short technical step from weapons-grade levels.
Middle East

Bennett, Lapid merge parties ahead of Israel vote

Bennett and Lapid previously joined forces after the 2021 election and ended Netanyahu’s 12-year run in office.

Full story +

Former prime ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid said Sunday they were joining forces ahead of Israel’s next election, expected later this year, in a bid to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.

In separate statements and at a joint news conference, Bennett and Lapid said they were merging their parties, Bennett 2026 and There is a Future.

Bennett said the new party would be called Together and that he would lead it. “After 30 years it is time to part with Netanyahu and open a new chapter for Israel,” he said.

Their previous 2021 coalition, which included the United Arab List, the first Arab party to join an Israeli governing coalition, lasted less than 18 months.

Netanyahu returned to office after the November 2022 election, leading what some have described as Israel’s most right-wing government. Since Hamas’ 2023 attack on southern Israel and the ensuing war, polls have indicated Netanyahu could lose the next election, which is due by the end of October.

On Sunday, Netanyahu posted a 2021 photo of Bennett and Lapid with United Arab List leader Mansour Abbas. “They did it once, they’ll do it again,” Netanyahu’s Telegram post said, referring to their previous coalition.

Bennett said he would not seek a coalition with Arab parties again and ruled out ceding land to enemies, in an apparent reference to Palestinian statehood in territories occupied by Israel.

An April 23 N12 News poll projected Bennett’s party at 21 seats in the 120-member Knesset, compared with 25 for Netanyahu’s Likud. The poll projected Lapid’s party at seven seats, down from 24 now, but showed Netanyahu’s bloc of right-wing and religious parties at 50 seats, compared with at least 60 for a likely Bennett-Lapid coalition with smaller factions.

Lapid and Bennett have also criticized Netanyahu over exemptions from military service sought by his ultra-Orthodox allies, as well as his handling of conflicts involving Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas.
Middle East

Israel, Hezbollah trade claims over Lebanon truce

Under the ceasefire, which was recently extended, Israel reserves the right to act against “planned, imminent or ongoing attacks.”

Full story +

Israel and Hezbollah accused each other of violating the ceasefire in Lebanon on Sunday, as Israeli strikes in the south killed 14 people, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.

The ministry said the dead included two women and two children, and that 37 other people were wounded. Lebanese state media said Israeli warplanes struck Kfar Tibnit after the Israeli military issued evacuation warnings for seven locations in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli military has carried out repeated strikes in Lebanon since the truce took effect on April 17, and troops are operating inside an Israeli-declared “yellow line” near the border, where Lebanese residents have been warned not to return.

The Israeli military said Sgt. Idan Fooks, 19, was killed “during combat” in southern Lebanon. It said an officer and three other soldiers were severely injured, one soldier was moderately injured, and one was lightly injured.

Hezbollah said it rejected Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s accusations that the group was threatening the ceasefire. In a statement, the Iran-backed group said its attacks on Israeli troops inside Lebanon were a “legitimate response to ceasefire violations.”
Europe

Russia hits Odesa, Kyiv blamed for plant worker death

The attacks came as diplomatic efforts to end the war remained stalled.

Full story +

Russian drone attacks on Ukraine’s southern port city of Odesa injured at least 11 people, including two children, Ukrainian officials said.

Odesa Gov. Oleh Kiper said the strikes hit three districts, damaging residential buildings, vehicles, and civilian facilities, including a hotel, warehouses, and a funicular railway. Windows were shattered in many buildings, and the port area was damaged.

In the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region, one person was killed in Russian attacks, according to regional Gov. Ivan Fedorov.

Fedorov also said Russian forces carried out 629 strikes across 45 settlements in the region in one day, with at least 50 reports of damage to homes and infrastructure.

Separately, a worker at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was killed in what the site’s Russia-installed managers said was a Ukrainian drone attack. The plant, captured by Russian forces, is shut down.

Russian officials reported Ukrainian drone attacks in the Belgorod border region, saying one person was killed, four women were injured, and buildings and vehicles were damaged.
Virginia

Virginia cannabis sales bill returns to governor

Virginia allows possession of cannabis, but not legal retail sales.

Full story +

Five years after Virginia legalized simple adult possession of marijuana, lawmakers and Gov. Abigail Spanberger remained divided over how to create a legal retail market after the General Assembly rejected more than 40 changes she proposed and sent the bill back to her desk.

Spanberger now must either sign the legislation as passed or veto it within 30 days.

The governor’s version would have delayed retail sales until July 1, 2027, and directed the Virginia Cannabis Control Authority to set many licensing rules through regulations rather than detailed state law. It also would have reduced retail licenses from 350 to 200 through Jan. 1, 2029, changed the authority’s board to all gubernatorial appointees, removed required agricultural representation, and eliminated provisions, including the Cannabis Equity Reinvestment Fund, tribal compact authority, and an illegal activity tip line.

The proposal would also have changed the distribution of cannabis tax revenue by ending fixed percentage allocations and directing lawmakers to allocate funds through the budget. It set the state tax rate at 6% until July 2029, rising to 8% after that.

Her proposal also would have made public consumption a Class 4 misdemeanor, made underage possession a Class 1 misdemeanor, lowered the personal possession limit from 2.5 ounces to 2 ounces, and revised advertising, medical cannabis delivery, and hemp rules.

Lawmakers also rejected her amendments to separate bills allowing reconsideration of some marijuana-related sentences.
North Carolina

Cary man arrested in Jones County scam investigation

A Cary man was arrested after a monthlong investigation into a scam targeting a Jones County family, according to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. The Jones County Sheriff’s Office asked the SBI for assistance on March 18, 2026. x The SBI’s Coastal District and the sheriff’s office arrested Christopher Aaron Murray, 40, of…

Full story +

A Cary man was arrested after a monthlong investigation into a scam targeting a Jones County family, according to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.

The Jones County Sheriff’s Office asked the SBI for assistance on March 18, 2026. x

The SBI’s Coastal District and the sheriff’s office arrested Christopher Aaron Murray, 40, of Cary. He was charged with one count of felony exploitation of a disabled or elderly person in a position of trust.

Murray was taken into custody Sunday and is pending a first court appearance scheduled for Monday.

The investigation remained ongoing, and investigators said there could be additional victims. Anyone who believes they may have been targeted or victimized was asked to contact the Jones County Sheriff’s Office or the SBI’s Coastal District office.