New Apple CEO doubted himself when he started
Apple adds a new CEO to its ranks and continues a long-standing tradition of internal promotions.
iPhone maker on Monday announced CEO Tim Cook said he would step down as CEO in September and replace him with John Ternus, senior vice president of hardware engineering. Cook will serve as chief executive officer.
“He has the mind of an engineer, the soul of an innovator, and the heart to lead with integrity and honor,” Cook wrote in a press release announcing Ternus as CEO.
Industry experts have long predicted that Ternus, 50, would be Cook’s eventual successor. Over the last 25 years at Apple, Ternus has become a key architect of the tech giant’s strong product line, managing hardware engineering for the iPad, AirPods and new iPhone models.
When Ternus takes the reins this September, he will become the company’s eighth CEO. It also faces a significant hurdle: revamping the company’s embattled AI strategy.
Apple faces pressure to innovate its AI strategy as it has long been seen as a large-scale rival. Recently, the company had development issues with its AI-powered Siri model and in January, it enlisted the help of Google Gemini.
Wall Street analysts see the CEO promotion as a potential catalyst for a resurgence of optimism at Apple and its AI strategy.
Morgan Stanley analysts wrote that “promoting him to CEO clearly demonstrates Apple’s continued emphasis on the product at its core.”
The road to CEO
Ternus graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1997 with a degree in mechanical engineering. As a student, he teamed up with a competitive college career in academic swimming.
After graduation, he worked as an engineer at Virtual Research, the first company to work on virtual reality headsets. He joined Apple in 2001 as an engineer on the design team.
during a commencement speech At the University of Pennsylvania engineering school in 2024, Ternus described his first day at the tech company as “exciting and scary.”
“I wasn’t sure I belonged there,” he recalled. “The people I met were so smart and so confident and knew so much more than I did, but I will always be grateful that I wasn’t afraid to ask for help when I needed it.”
His first project at the emerging tech company was on a plastic desktop monitor known as a cinema display. He described the build as a detail-intensive process involving “large, complex clear plastic pieces.” Apple then turned to aluminum.
“Each experience like this has sharpened my ability to approach problems from different angles,” he told students in 2024. “It gives me the confidence and willingness to try new things and the determination to keep going until I find a solution.”
By 2013, Ternus became vice president of hardware engineering and led the development of key product lines including the Mac and iPad. He took charge of Apple’s iPhone and became senior vice president of hardware engineering in 2021, with hardware chief Dan Riccio moving to Apple Vision Pro.
Over the past five years, Ternus has overseen the design and product performance of many new Apple products, including the iPad and AirPods. He also played a key role in Apple’s Silicon chip program. Intel.
For Apple fans, Ternus is also a familiar face at launch events broadcast from the company’s Cupertino, California headquarters. last year that explained the company’s new iPhone Air.
In a statement announcing his appointment, Ternus said he was “fortunate” to have worked alongside Apple founder Steve Jobs and to have Cook as his mentor.
“I am filled with optimism about what we can achieve in the years to come, and I am delighted to know that the most talented people in the world are here at Apple, determined to be part of something bigger than all of us,” he said.
Correction: This story has been revised to reflect that new Apple CEO John Ternus is 50 years old. In an earlier version, his age was stated incorrectly.
