The recent change in Apple’s leadership, with Tim Cook stepping down as CEO and John Ternus taking over, was anticipated by those closely following the company.
Cook, who is 65 years old, has led Apple for 15 years and overseen a significant increase in market value from $350 billion to around $4 trillion. Speculation about a leadership transition had been circulating in the media for some time.
Ternus, the incoming CEO and current vice-president of hardware engineering, has played a more prominent role in recent years, often presenting new products at launch events. He notably introduced the new MacBook Neo at a recent live event in New York City.
According to tech blogger John Gruber, Ternus’s increased visibility at Apple events over the past five years aligns with his rising position within the company.
Ternus, with 25 years of experience at Apple, has been instrumental in key developments, including the transition to Apple’s proprietary computer chips. Questions linger about Ternus’s leadership style, especially as Apple faces challenges in the AI arena.
John Ternus, Apple’s hardware engineer vice-president and newly announced CEO, discusses the latest development for the iPad Pro during an event to announce new products in New York in October 2018. (Bebeto Matthews/The Associated Press)
Who is John Ternus?
Ternus, a long-serving Apple employee, joined the company’s product design team in 2001 after a brief stint at Virtual Research Systems post-graduation from the University of Pennsylvania with a mechanical engineering degree.
His career progression led him to become vice-president of hardware engineering in 2013, overseeing the hardware components of Apple’s devices and contributing to the launch of products like AirPods and the recently introduced MacBook Neo.
In the official announcement, Cook described Ternus as an engineer, innovator, and ethical leader, affirming his suitability for the CEO role.