John Ternus Again Profiled as Apple's Likely Next CEO

[lazyrighteye]

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?

I could be wrong, but I think the point of quoting Rogers was because he was saying Ternus is more a likable person than he is qualified to be Apple's next CEO. Said another way - Rogers does not think Ternus is qualified to be Apple's next CEO. Seems a useful perspective, given the topic. That journalism checks out.

That said, Steve was the product-first visionary that launched Apple. Tim was the operations guy that took Apple to the trillion(s) mark. The next person will have some insanely massive shoes to fill. They'll need to be one part Steve (for the nerds) one part Tim (for Wall Street). Some should start emotionally preparing now: there's not any CEO candidate that can successfully wear both of those very different hats. All I know is this is going to be pretty interesting to see how this plays out.


Edit - the way things are going, the next CEO is going to require some serious political navigational super powers.

 

[dominiongamma]

Apple needs young blood like him not guys from the 70s-80s past their prime

 

[rappr]

I could be wrong, but I think the point of quoting Rogers was because he was saying Ternus is more a likable person than he is qualified to be Apple's next CEO. Said another way - Rogers does not think Ternus is qualified to be Apple's next CEO. Seems a useful perspective, given the topic. That journalism checks out.

That said, Steve was the product-first visionary that launched Apple. Tim was the operations guy that took Apple to the trillion(s) mark. The next person will have some insanely massive shoes to fill. They'll need to be one part Steve (for the nerds) one part Tim (for Wall Street). Some should start emotionally preparing now: there's not any CEO candidate that can successfully wear both of those very different hats. All I know is this is going to be pretty interesting to see how this plays out.


Edit - the way things are going, the next CEO is going to require some serious political navigational super powers.

I assume the idea of Cook staying on as Chairman is for him to handle the political stuff so hopefully the next CEO won’t have to (at least not right away).

 

[Maven1975]

Ternus? I think not.

They need to have someone focused on core services.

Pitching the fact the Ternus spearheaded the iPhone Air and Foldable falls flat.

 

[xander49x]

NO NO NO NO if this happens, Apple will be no more.

 

[unsui_grep]

Ternus is a product guy and hardware is Apple’s strength right now. He seems like a natural fit. Being on the younger side and being easy going are bonus points in this corporate and political climate.

 

[CarAnalogy]

Craig is someone who likes computers too. He does software in his free time too, create his own programs and apps and tries solve problems privately. He's enthusiastic about new technology and was one of the first at Apple to use Chat GPT in his free time. He was the one at Apple who told them they need to take AI more seriously and do something while the head everything that was AI related. I am glad now he and his team are in charge of AI and Siri and no longer Giannandrea.

Personally the jury is still out on CFed. I can't tell if the decline of software quality lately is because of him or in spite of him. I agree with all the things you said but those don't make him a good manager or CEO. He does seem to keep getting more and more project management responsibility. But the Mac especially is getting farther away from a power tool for people who love computers and going more towards being an iPad with a built in keyboard and a touchpad for people who never used a computer in the first place.

 

[CarAnalogy]

"Hmm.."

"Working on it..."

"Please try again later."

That's 90% of my Siri. The other 10% is setting timers.

While we're venting about Siri, with the 26 OSes my HomePod and iPhone HomeKit experiences flipped. Now my phone randomly but frequently tells me I haven't set up any HomeKit accessories if I say a room. I even made scenes with the room names which made the failure rate go from 100% to about 25%.

But now my HomePod Minis that used to flake out at the same task work every time. And my iPhone that was rock solid about it on the last version of iOS is now essentially broken.

Apple has really, really got to get its HomeKit **** together.

 

[rappr]

Personally the jury is still out on CFed. I can't tell if the decline of software quality lately is because of him or in spite of him. I agree with all the things you said but those don't make him a good manager or CEO. He does seem to keep getting more and more project management responsibility. But the Mac especially is getting farther away from a power tool for people who love computers and going more towards being an iPad with a built in keyboard and a touchpad for people who never used a computer in the first place.

Unfortunately, the complaints about Apples software quality decline started when he took over and haven’t stopped.

 

[npmacuser5]

Maybe you ought to actually look into the data, because historical data shows that tech companies do way better when their CEO's are engineers than when they are MBA's

Tim Cook and Steve Jobs not engineers. I may agree if you stated startup.

 

[groove-agent]

I'd also argue that the future of apple is in software and services. So I think Federighi is a better choice.

I struggle to think of existing Apple software/ service that is exceptional. If anything it is their weakness, future or not. Hardware is where Apple shines.

 

[diblasio]

Nice! We haven’t had a hot CEO since Gil Amelio! 🥴

 

[PCtoMAC1]

Maybe not, but a strategy, other that "let's see what sticks when we throw it against the wall", is required for focus and fund the engineering and creative processes at Apple. They have been without focus since Jobs left.

Way past time to get over that.

 

[CarAnalogy]

Unfortunately, the complaints about Apples software quality decline started when he took over and haven’t stopped.

Exactly. This is exactly what I’m worried about. He does seem like a nice guy, though charisma does that so who knows, but if JG got fired for not showing results…

 

[CarAnalogy]

CEO is not an engineering job.

No it isn't, but neither is supply chain operations. People can adapt, and from all reports Cook isn't actually leaving the building anyway.

Personally I'm excitred at the prospect of an engineer being put in charge rather than a logistician.

If it's about perspective and hiring the right people to help, that's the perspective I want. Cook is OK but a little bit too coldly logistical. I want to see someone who comes from computers in charge of what used to be called Apple Computer.

 

[npmacuser5]

No it isn't, but neither is supply chain operations. People can adapt, and from all reports Cook isn't actually leaving the building anyway.

Personally I'm excitred at the prospect of an engineer being put in charge rather than a logistician.

If it's about perspective and hiring the right people to help, that's the perspective I want. Cook is OK but a little bit too coldly logistical. I want to see someone who comes from computers in charge of what used to be called Apple Computer.

Tim Cook and Steve Jobs example. Today the business side very complicated. In the weeds thinking individual not a good fit for CEO. Need to find a Steve Jobs to work with the CEO. Two finds needed today at Apple.

 

[TSE]

First thing I would do is move away from physical products and move toward services.

I would make it a LGBTQIA+, environmentalist, and human rights advocacy company.

 

[erihp]

First thing I would do is move away from physical products and move toward services.

I would make it a LGBTQIA+, environmentalist, and human rights advocacy company.

annnd thats why youre not in the running!

no offense just the reality lol

 

[Dark_Omen]

Knowing what he's done doesn't always dictate what he might want to do.

In any case, he's definitely easier on the eyes than Tim.

If you look at Tim's picture on the Apple website, and then look at him now....

Man, looks like Tim is about ready to croak over and die any day now. He definitely doesn't look mid-60s... More like in his late 80's.

 

[garranhado]

CEO is not an engineering job.

Yes but sometimes a visionary engineer can be the best.

 

[Dark_Omen]

Given that, it seems plausible that he will be the one introducing the iPhone Fold during their (now traditional) pre-recorded ridiculously Hollywooded keynote speech... and such an introduction would seem like a natural moment to do a public hand-off, officially giving Ternus the reins and an opportunity to reveal his vision for the future of Apple.

I'm sensing... bar charts...

One could hope Ternus brings back live presentations.

The pre-recorded stuff just takes away any type of excitement.

 

[Nevaborn]

Apple needs a drastic change asap. It has become a stagnant company. I have had no need to update my devices in years. The prices are getting silly and the biggest issue is greed. In 2025 the base icloud storage is still 5gb which is pathetic. Should be at least 20GB free when your paying a premium for a device.
The obsession with thinner devices is a folly, when for a few more millimetres of thickness you could have significant battery life.
I think some fresh blood not indoctrinated by Cooks way of thinking is needed. Promoting internally I think may just give more of the same.

 

[steve62388]

Debates over who is the better or more logical choice are interesting, but there can be only one choice. To be CEO, you have to want to be a CEO. What's more interesting to me is speculation about what the others will do when not selected to be CEO. If there has been a leadership exodus up to this point, just wait and watch.

Clearing the decks before and when a new CEO is appointed is not a bad call and fairly common. That way they can promote their own choices they feel like they can work best with and mould the company in the direction they want to go. Having overlooked candidates and ex-CEOs hanging around can cause problems.

 

[insomniac86]

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.

Apple's software quality has gotten worse and worse, I don't think Craig Federighi would be a great choice.
He seems like a really nice guy, and I think that's the issue. You need a hardball in charge to kick people's arses in line or out the door.

 

[Velli]

Apple needs a drastic change asap.

There’s a significant difference between “Apple needs…” and “I wish Apple would…” Based on business metrics, Apple doesn’t need to change a damn thing. Does that make them boring? Perhaps. But Apple is not an upstart company anymore, and they do not need an upstart CEO. For our amusement, maybe. For them as a company, certainly not.