Apple is reportedly accelerating its succession planning for Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook, who may step down as soon as next year, according to a report from the Financial Times. The long-planned transition is said to be unrelated to the company's current performance. Under Cook's leadership since 2011, Apple's market capitalization has grown from approximately $350 billion to over $4 trillion. John Ternus, Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering, is widely considered the leading candidate to succeed Cook. While discussions have intensified, no final decisions have been made, and an announcement is not expected before the company's earnings report in late January. The potential timing could allow for a new leader to be in place ahead of the annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June.