Report: Ternus to Bring Jobs-Era Decisiveness Back to Apple

[MacRumors]

Apple on Monday announced that CEO Tim Cook is stepping down as the company's chief executive officer, with hardware engineering chief John Ternus set to take the helm. In a new Bloomberg report, reporter Mark Gurman suggests one of the reasons Ternus has been chosen as successor is for his decision-making style, which is said to be closer to co-founder Steve Jobs than Cook, who has a more deliberative approach.

From the report:

"Ternus will make decisions" when it comes to product development, said one person who has worked closely with both executives. "If you go to Tim with 'A' or 'B,' he won't pick. He'll ask a series of questions instead if he has concerns."

Ternus, on the other hand, will choose, said the person, who asked not to be identified in order to speak candidly. "It could be right or wrong, but at least it's a decision."

That shift could mark the end of an era in which major product decisions were made collectively by a small group of top executives. Ternus is expected to take a more centralized approach where he will be a singular decision-maker.

Earlier this month, Ternus reportedly reorganized the hardware engineering division around a new AI platform designed to speed up product development and improve device quality. Ternus is said to be keen to deploy AI quickly throughout Apple to improve its operations, suggesting he is willing to make clear calls and shake things up where necessary. Ternus has also told employees he will remain closely involved in hardware engineering development, indicating a sharper focus on products.

He is also reportedly ready to push back when it matters – Ternus apparently opposed development of the Vision Pro, which has flopped, as well as the company's autonomous car project that cost around $10 billion, but was ultimately scrapped.

Cook will hand over the reins to Ternus on September 1, in time for him to oversee the launch of the iPhone 18 Pro models as well as the company's first foldable iPhone later the same month. Cook will continue to advise Apple in a new role as executive chairman.

Article Link: Report: Ternus to Bring Jobs-Era Decisiveness Back to Apple

 

[Mitthrawnuruodo]

This is why I'm cautiously optimistic, as I said in another thread. 🙂

 

[antiprotest]

We won't know if he will actually be better until it happens, but we simply cannot stay with Tim Cook for longer. After wishing for this for years, I am glad it's finally happening. Tim Cook needs to GTFO.

 

[Mazda 3s]

He is also reportedly ready to push back when it matters – Ternus apparently opposed development of the Vision Pro, which has flopped, as well as the company's autonomous car project that cost around $10 billion, but was ultimately scrapped.

I like him already

 

[sirfelgar]

I’m excited to see more hardware updates with more technological advances. Hopefully the pro users won’t be fully left out either.

 

[Burgess07]

I like him already

I don’t know I quite enjoy mine 🤷‍♂️

 

[HPDoor]

My hope for a new Airport Extreme went up by 17 %.

 

[kaishockz]

business administration timmy will be gone...

 

[aidler]

I welcome that, and it's one of my credos as well. Always decide... the worst decision you can make is not to decide. Even a wrong decision is better than no decision.

 

[tonmischa]

an era in which major product decisions were made collectively by a small group of top executives

One man with a clear vision is usually the better choice than a group of money-focused "executives". Steve Jobs had the right idea when he said:
"If you keep your eye on the profit, you're going to skimp on the product. But if you focus on making really great products, then the profits will follow."

 

[klasma]

Sounds good, except for “a new AI platform designed to speed up product development”. It also remains to be seen how much Ternus cares about the software and UI side of things.

 

[sublunar]

Sounds like a guy not afraid to swing the axe there. Maybe some product rationalisation ahead?

 

[Steve Adams]

I like him already

Me too. The AVP is a flop of major proportions. If it was priced normally, it would be a much better fit. But the quest is a no brainer in the headset space. The AVP will be axed now, and a person actually lost their life doing a promo video for it. That's not great.

 

[robertcoogan]

More bad than good, but not horribly so.

 

[MRSugarD]

I like this guy.

 

[Taq'aix]

I believe it when I see it.

 

[bluecoast]

Sounds promising but let’s see.

He’s quite an enigma at the moment and who knows what his vision is.

But not Vision Pro 2 most likely…

 

[Scipster]

I hope he doesn’t discontinue the AVP - it’s an amazing experience!

 

[rizzo41999]

Beware of the investor pump articles. Time will tell, hoping for the best.

 

[M67]

We won't know if he will actually be better until it happens, but we simply cannot stay with Tim Cook for longer. After wishing for this for years, I am glad it's finally happening. Tim Cook needs to GTFO.


View attachment 2623751

and we probably wont know for another 2+ years at least

 

[MrGimper]

Tech people should run tech companies. Farewell to the bean counter.

A great step for Apple.

 

[t0rqx]

Show us you have the Jobs spirit:

Manufacture quality Macbook Pro screens without micro scratches and place back proper heatsinks to cool the machines

Improve or add components to improve quality instead degrading them like the HomePod.

Stop saving 0.01 ct on stuff like shielding on the iPhone 17 Pro so crackling static noises occur during charging.

All the cheaper devices around the world dont have this…

 

[_apple_apple_]

I might be remembering wrong, but I think Cook was the one that insisted the AVP had to be all-in-one, instead of a wireless base-station design. I think the latter would have played out better, AVP is kind of an indoor product.

 

[dannys1]

Everyone saying they like this - but this design by committee is what got us to the latest MacBook Pro shape which I hate, but you all love.

Jobs would have stubbornly stuck with the all USB-C port version and wondered why after 10 years+ you're still using USB-A anything.

 

[psingh01]

He will be making the tough choices. Including who takes the blame for the bad choices!