After years of speculation and quiet succession planning, Apple announced yesterday (April 20) that Tim Cook will step down as CEO in September and be replaced by John Ternus, Apple's current head of engineering. Cook will transition to the role of executive chairman and welcome Ternus to the board. Needless to say, this is perhaps the most important leadership change in the tech world in years. The new leader at the helm of Apple will, in many ways, shape the future look and feel of devices used by billions of people around the world.
Ternus is 51—about the same age Cook was when he took over as CEO in 2011, succeeding Steve Jobs. He spent 25 years at Apple, working his way up the hardware ranks. In the role of CEO, he has big shoes to fill and a lot to prove. Not only will he face the pressure to continue the impressive legacy left by Cook, who grew Apple's market share more than 20 times during his 15 years in charge, but he will also manage a senior team of similarly experienced leaders, many of whom are older than him and, until recently, wanted for the top job.
“My biggest question is how he will be able to keep the people he has worked with in the past as peers,” Om Malik, a venture capitalist and influential technology writer, told the Observer. In particular, Malik pointed to Craig Federighi, Apple's SVP of software. “He didn't get the job, will he stay or will he go?” he asked. “It's the same with the rest of the leadership team and the way he's handling this change. It's going to be very exciting to see.”
Other senior executives under Ternus include service chief Eddy Cue, chief executive officer Sabih Khan, chief sales officer Deirdre O'Brien, and who recently joined Amar SubramanyaApple's AI deputy While Subramanya reports directly to Federighi, observers will be watching closely to see how Ternus steers Apple's AI strategy, an area where the company is widely seen as lagging behind its peers.
How John Ternus got the job
During succession planning, Apple's approach seems to be finding someone like Cook in both experience and attitude. For years, Jeff Williams, Apple's former CEO who was described as “the closest thing to Tim Cook,” was a top contender. However, another thing against him was his age. In just three years under Cook, he may not have fit Apple's preferences for long-serving CEOs. Williams retired last summer and later joined Disney's board.
Ternus fits that mold closely and is much smaller. You are “very popular” in Apple's leadership ranks and is known as a meticulous engineer, according to Bloomberg, citing former colleagues.
“John Ternus has the mind of an engineer, the soul of an innovator, and the heart to lead with integrity and respect,” Cook said in a statement yesterday. “There is no doubt that he is the right person to lead Apple in the future.”
Still, some former Apple executives have raised concerns about Ternus's lack of a track record of making tough decisions. Two areas that will be closely watched are Apple's next wave of product innovation and the evolution of its AI strategy. The company hasn't released a truly groundbreaking product in years, and its AI efforts are widely seen as trailing rivals.
Ternus joined Apple's product design team in 2001. In 2013, he was promoted to VP of hardware engineering, overseeing development across the iPad, Mac and AirPods product lines. In 2021, he was promoted again to SVP of hardware engineering. In late 2022, his responsibilities expanded to include Apple Watch hardware.
Prior to Apple, Ternus worked as a mechanical engineer at Virtual Research Systems. He holds a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, where he was also a competitive swimmer and was awarded the all-time winner on the men's team.
