John Ternus Again Profiled as Apple's Likely Next CEO

[MacRumors]

With Tim Cook having recently turned 65 years old and a number of other senior Apple executives having already departed in recent months or heading for the exits, there has been significant focus on Apple's plans for who will succeed Cook as CEO.

Several recent reports have identified Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering, John Ternus, as likely to be named the next Apple CEO, and The New York Times has now shared a profile of Ternus with some context on his expertise and how he is viewed within the company.

According to sources who spoke to The New York Times, Apple began accelerating its planning for Tim Cook's succession last year, with Cook having expressed a desire to reduce his workload.

While software chief Craig Federighi, services chief Eddy Cue, marketing head Greg Joswiak, and retail/HR chief Deirdre O'Brien have all reportedly been seen as potential candidates, Ternus "appears to have shot to the front of the pack," with Cook likely to remain as chairman of the company's board of directors.

Ternus is known for his expertise as an engineer, having worked on many of Apple's devices although he is "known more for maintaining products than developing new ones." Ternus also has only limited exposure to dealing with political and policy issues that come with CEO role.

"He's a nice guy," [former Apple engineer Cameron] Rogers said. "He's someone you want to hang out with. Everyone loves him because he's great. Has he made any hard decisions? No. Are there hard problems he's solved in hardware? No."

Ternus and others may quibble with that assessment, however, as Ternus has been involved with a number of innovative products over the years, including spearheading the effort to develop the iPhone Air and working on the upcoming foldable iPhone.

Ternus is seen as a natural successor to Cook, with an even temperament, strong attention to detail, and intimate knowledge of Apple's supply chain. But he may not bring the visionary focus and willingness to take risks that Steve Jobs had, leading to debate among Apple employees about exactly what type of leader is needed.

For more on Ternus and his work rising through the ranks at Apple, check out the full profile at The New York Times.

Article Link: John Ternus Again Profiled as Apple's Likely Next CEO

 

[rotvaldi]

hopefully Apple cook him well, cause nowadays Cook is very cooked ~

 

[mcilwraith]

I’m also available. Just saying.

 

[volcom883]

I badly want Cook to lose his job just because of siri. we have the best phone but cant even understand me or give me what i want

 

[anakin44011]

That quote is so useless, it makes it sound like my Mom is qualified to run Apple. All things being equal, sure, 'niceness' or 'hang-out-ability' are valuable traits. But they aren't in the top 15 of the list of qualifications of the job.

What is happening to journalism? Is there anything left that's immune to this "******tification" trend?

 

[idmean]

I badly want Cook to lose his job just because of siri. we have the best phone but cant even understand me or give me what i want

But... it can show you the search results on your iPhone if you ask again!

 

[citysnaps]

I badly want Cook to lose his job just because of siri. we have the best phone but cant even understand me or give me what i want

I have zero problems with Siri. Works every time whether I'm at home using HomePods, using my iPhone, or in my car using CarPlay.

 

[gjpinc]

Scott Forstall...Visionary...its what Apple needs

 

[sully54]

Ternus also has only limited exposure to dealing with political and policy issues that come with CEO role.

Ternus is great but this does give me pause. I'd also argue that the future of apple is in software and services. So I think Federighi is a better choice.

 

[JoshuaBru]

Did he have anything to do with the Vision Pro? If so, we don’t want him

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

Tony Fadell as product guy with a design focus as CEO.

 

[Plutonius]

I predict that the new CEO will be a financial person like Cook.

An engineer focused person would be great for us users but Apple, like most corporations, is more concerned in making money.

 

[bdavis89]

Ternus has been involved with a number of innovative products over the years, including spearheading the effort to develop the iPhone Air and working on the upcoming foldable iPhone

a number of products? then proceed to list one iteration on the iphone alongside a phone that hasn't actually seen the light of day...would like to know more...

 

[BabyBoii]

would be awesome, guy is a natural talent.

 

[vertsix]

Good. Really the best candidate.

 

[CarAnalogy]

Comparing to Steve Jobs is unhelpful. There were so few like him to begin with. That whole generation and its thought process is essentially gone. Not to mention the simple factor of how companies change forever once the founder is gone.

However it does give me hope for the future if Apple actually has someone who doesn’t hate computers in charge of computers, and someone who doesn’t hate design in charge of design. Finally.

 

[neuropsychguy]

a number of products? then proceed to list one iteration on the iphone alongside a phone that hasn't actually seen the light of day...would like to know more...

1 is a number.

Also, with just 2 numbers — 0 and 1 — we can represent just about anything.

/In all seriousness, Ternus started working for Apple in 2001 so he’s been involved in more products than just those two examples.

 

[Attirex]

Two words:

Elon

 

[npmacuser5]

CEO is not an engineering job.

 

[JPack]

John Ternus is the only logical choice. The other candidates are too old, while others who bet on failures like Vision Pro and Apple Car have already left the company.

 

[Taq'aix]

I don’t think he’s the right choice for CEO. He lacks the executive presence and experience the role demands. As the article noted, while he’s well-liked and clearly talented in his domain, popularity doesn’t automatically translate to effective leadership at that level.

Craig Federighi would be a stronger candidate, though I suspect he may be approaching retirement. Frankly, I’m concerned about Apple’s trajectory overall.

Okay.. now let’s have those downvotes from the haters. LOL.

 

[zarmanto]

I badly want Cook to lose his job just because of siri. we have the best phone but cant even understand me or give me what i want

Is that you, Kripke?

 

[turbineseaplane]

Ternus is great but this does give me pause. I'd also argue that the future of apple is in software and services. So I think Federighi is a better choice.

Given the state of Apple software and services, do we really want that lead now running the entire company?

 

[citysnaps]

I predict that the new CEO will be a financial person like Cook.

An engineer focused person would be great for us users but Apple, like most corporations, is more concerned in making money.

Cook is an engineer with a degree from Auburn University, and also holds an MBA from Duke.

 

[Falco McGregor]

1 is a number.

Also, with just 2 numbers — 0 and 1 — we can represent just about anything.

/In all seriousness, Ternus started working for Apple in 2001 so he’s been involved in more products than just those couple examples.

Exactly. The article even goes on to mention how when he was working on the iMac Ternus pushed for the novel use of magnets to hold the glass on instead of adhesives despite skepticism and pushback. He has the mind of a problem solver and product guy.