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Gurman: Major Apple Leadership Shakeup Impending With John Ternus as Next CEO
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I still think they should bring back Jony Ive.
Unless you need to take solid pictures or actually use the thing all day. 😆
He's busy building the next Humane with snake-oil salesman Sam Altman.
I like it. He is young and will be excellent as a leader from what I’ve read about him.
I had to pinch myself
FINALLY!
Maybe there's hope after all
FINALLY!
Maybe there's hope after all
Jony Ive sucks without Steve to keep his nonsense reined in.
It is time for new blood. Both apple and Microsoft are building on 50 years old computer paradigms and that is changing fast. Today we still learn kids to code when regen AI makes scipts and run them in the browser based a few descriptive sentences in plain English. In the next step the GUI and file management as we know it will be handle by AI and in essense gone. Will Apple be Apple to change sufficiently fast?
It's times like this that I wish Scott Forstall was still there. The next best thing to Steve.
John Ternus would be my next-best pick, though, so that's still pretty cool. Can't be any worse than the last John to do the job.
John Ternus would be my next-best pick, though, so that's still pretty cool. Can't be any worse than the last John to do the job.
We'll see when the AI bubble bursts and investors realize the current path isn't sustainable, money or energy wise.
I'll stick to keeping things local as much as possible, for privacy reasons if nothing else.
Whether this ends up being good or bad...
It's just time for "different" at Apple at this point.
Things have gone stale and something has to be tried.
It's just time for "different" at Apple at this point.
Things have gone stale and something has to be tried.
Thankfully they opted for a technologist than a operations executive.
Apple has been stagnant for very long. Apple Silicon saved the Mac, but MacOS and iOS have been getting slower and less fast and stable.
The ecosystem and loyalists saved the iPhone from the Apple intelligence disaster but it’s not going to hold for long.
The only reason I still use an iPhone and Mac is because iPhone has airdrop and I need it for work.
The only reason I use a Mac is because Apple Silicon and because Windows suck.
Apple has been stagnant for very long. Apple Silicon saved the Mac, but MacOS and iOS have been getting slower and less fast and stable.
The ecosystem and loyalists saved the iPhone from the Apple intelligence disaster but it’s not going to hold for long.
The only reason I still use an iPhone and Mac is because iPhone has airdrop and I need it for work.
The only reason I use a Mac is because Apple Silicon and because Windows suck.
No. That's why I'm using words like wonder, or seems like, based on the evidence of my eyes and ears. I do not need to personally know people to have an opinion of them.
Apple hasn't been the same since Woz left :'-(
Ternus is a solid choice. I also like that he was there during the SJ era.
John Ternus: "What will happen to me now?"
Tim Cook: "TheCouncil Board have granted me permission to train you. You will be a Jedi CEO, I promise."
Tim Cook: "The
That's two HUGE reasons!
Apple is entering its most significant leadership transition in more than a decade as multiple senior executives prepare to depart and CEO Tim Cook begins to shape the company's next generation of leaders, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter, Gurman explained that Williams, who was viewed as Cook's potential successor for several years, has already handed off his operations responsibilities and will leave the company later this year. His exit marks the first major change in Apple's senior leadership since 2019, when both Chief Design Officer Jony Ive and retail chief Angela Ahrendts departed. Gurman reports that this change is the beginning of a broader reshuffling among Apple's top executives, many of whom have been in their roles for more than a decade.
Former Apple marketing chief Phil Schiller continues to oversee the App Store and product launch events after stepping down from day-to-day operations in 2020. Former Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri, who resigned last year, still retains oversight of Apple's real estate and information systems. However, Gurman writes that the company's era of stability "cannot last forever," noting that several executives are now weighing retirement or changes to their roles.
One of the most closely watched figures is John Giannandrea, Apple's senior vice president of machine learning and AI strategy. Recruited from Google in 2018, Giannandrea has led Apple's efforts in artificial intelligence, including the rollout of Apple Intelligence. Gurman states that his position "has been uncertain for years" following setbacks with Siri's redevelopment and internal struggles over Apple's AI direction. Some of Giannandrea's responsibilities have been reassigned to Mike Rockwell, who previously led the Vision Pro and is now tasked with improving Siri.
Gurman also reports that Apple is considering external candidates to strengthen its AI leadership. Among them is a senior AI executive from Meta Platforms, where recent structural changes have included the hiring of Scale AI founder Alexandr Wang and the creation of a new Superintelligence Labs division.
The company's hardware division may also see turnover. Johny Srouji, Apple's senior vice president of hardware technologies and the executive behind its custom A-series and M-series chips, is said to be "evaluating his future." Under Srouji's leadership, Apple has completed major milestones such as the transition from Intel processors to Apple silicon and the development of its first in-house cellular modem. Potential internal successors include Zongjian Chen, who leads the modem and wireless teams, and Sri Santhanam, who oversees processor design.
Lisa Jackson, Apple's vice president for environment, policy, and social initiatives, is another executive reportedly considering retirement. A former administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under President Barack Obama, Jackson joined Apple in 2013 and has since expanded her responsibilities to include government affairs and accessibility. Gurman writes that her deputies now handle most of Apple's interactions with the federal government, noting that she "has kept a lower profile" in recent years.
Tim Cook turns 65 next month and remains at the center of Apple's leadership discussions. With Williams's departure, the company no longer has a clear second-in-command. Gurman notes that "Cook may eventually move into a chairman role," similar to the transitions made by Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and Larry Ellison at their respective companies.
The leading internal candidate to succeed Cook is John Ternus, Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering. Gurman identifies Ternus as "the most likely heir apparent," citing his growing visibility within the company and his increasing role in shaping product strategy. Ternus, who joined Apple in 2001 and became senior vice president in 2021, has overseen the design and engineering of the iPhone, iPad, and Mac in recent years.
Gurman says that Apple's public relations teams have already begun "putting the spotlight on Ternus," a signal that the company may be preparing for a gradual transition of power. He was the public face of the iPhone Air launch last month and has recently been featured prominently in Apple's marketing efforts and interviews.
Gurman writes that Ternus, now 50, "fits the mold of a long-term successor," being the same age as Cook when he became CEO in 2011. Apple's board is apparently likely to favor a technologist over an operations or sales executive for its next leader, as the company seeks to reinvigorate innovation in categories such as artificial intelligence, mixed reality, and home automation. "Those close to the company see little doubt that Ternus will eventually be CEO," Gurman added.
Article Link: Gurman: Major Apple Leadership Shakeup Impending With John Ternus as Next CEO
Ternus for the win! He began at Apple on the Product Design team in 2001. THIS IS GREAT NEWS. He knows the value of a design focused company. Sadly - if Tim Cook sticks around as "Chairman" I fear Tim will always push the other leaders to think like a bean counter and avoid risk. Well placed risk is exactly what Apple needs and has lacked for a decade.
All I really know about Ternus is what Apple presents to us (so the truth may be skewed), but Apple’s hardware is currently really good, possibly the best it’s even been. Their software—not so much (probably the worst it’s been in over 25 years), their services are soulless money grabs, their AI is far behind, and their marketing overly self-congratulating.
So, given all that, Ternus seems like a great choice. I really want to see someone from the actual technology side of things running the company, not an operations or been counter.
So, given all that, Ternus seems like a great choice. I really want to see someone from the actual technology side of things running the company, not an operations or been counter.
Anyone sub to Gurmans newsletter who can verify this?
Jeff is claiming this is a misread of what Gurman actually said about the situation and Cook isn't going anywhere.
Why? Do you miss unreliable keyboards and macbook pros too thin to cool themselves?
Ive needs someone as nuerotically exacting as Jobs as a boss to keep him in check, and crucially it needs to be someone he respects enough to take brutal feedback from (which so far seems to have been one dude - jobs). When he doesnt have that he goes way overboard in form over function
Also, bluntly, I think he’s past his prime in ideas and appears to mostly have lost touch with what would work for consumers in any way. Maybe time for him to fully retire. His AI forays dont seem to have hit anything major yet, that’s for sure
Those expecting Craig to be the next CEO have no idea how Fortune 50 companies operate. Apple isn't some 50 man operation. The next CEO was never gonna be a software boss. Totally different skillset. Leader of Apple is more of an elder statesman or politician than a geek.
It'll be good for Apple to have a product person in charge - the hardware is rock solid.
TC has done a great job in scaling up SJ's vision for Apple and implementing his roadmap.
But these are different times - GenAI and increasing hostility for numerous govts about the App Store - and a new approach is needed.
Software is very good too, but the amount of weird bugs with every major - and minor - release is concerning.
Now comes of the list of things where Apple is not as good as it should be:
iCloud has never been as reliable as it should be.
Services are ... Mixed. TV+ feels premium. News still splatters 2nd rate ads all over it, even if you pay for it.
And AI - Apple are woefully behind. Yes, I know that a number of people on these forums are skeptical about it.
But it's possible for a technology to be both overhyped and massively important - and AI is certainly both of these things.
Best of luck to him if he gets the crown.
TC has done a great job in scaling up SJ's vision for Apple and implementing his roadmap.
But these are different times - GenAI and increasing hostility for numerous govts about the App Store - and a new approach is needed.
Software is very good too, but the amount of weird bugs with every major - and minor - release is concerning.
Now comes of the list of things where Apple is not as good as it should be:
iCloud has never been as reliable as it should be.
Services are ... Mixed. TV+ feels premium. News still splatters 2nd rate ads all over it, even if you pay for it.
And AI - Apple are woefully behind. Yes, I know that a number of people on these forums are skeptical about it.
But it's possible for a technology to be both overhyped and massively important - and AI is certainly both of these things.
Best of luck to him if he gets the crown.