Initial rise, then reversal
Apple shares opened the June 8 session up around 2% on the back of WWDC anticipation, only to reverse course and close in negative territory during the keynote itself, as CNBC reports. The market listened to announcements in real time and was unimpressed.
According to XTB, investors may not have seen a sufficiently compelling reason to view Apple as one of the leaders of the current AI wave. Siri AI, while representing the most important product update, was already widely anticipated. Performance improvements, the Liquid Glass redesign and parental control features — however useful — do not configure a narrative breakthrough for those valuing Apple as an AI investment.
Pressure on Ternus
The timing is not irrelevant. WWDC 2026 is Tim Cook's last keynote as CEO: from September, John Ternus takes the helm. Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities summarized the stakes bluntly, as quoted by Yahoo Finance: Cook leaves an enormous legacy, but Ternus will face immediate pressure to deliver results on the AI front. The market, in other words, has already shifted its attention to the next chapter — and wants to know whether that chapter will have a different story.