John Ternus, Apple’s new CEO, after taking the helm from Tim Cook, has adopted a different approach to leading one of the world’s largest technology companies. Having worked for years in Apple’s hardware engineering division before becoming CEO, he now spends a significant portion of his time on product engineering and hardware and software design.
“I’m not you”
In the early stages of discussions about the succession, Ternus hesitated about whether he was ready for the role. He told Cook, “I’m not you; you do a lot of amazing things.” Cook, with his usual calm and serious tone, replied, “I know you’re not me.” In other words, Ternus should be himself.
Ternus describes that exchange as a turning point for his employees and says the sentence had a profound impact on him. According to him, a CEO should spend their time in areas that “add the most value to Apple.” He added, “There will be differences in how I spend my time, but the mission and goals remain the same.”
Two different management styles
During his tenure as CEO, Cook dedicated a large portion of his time to operations, sales, financial strategy, and Apple’s supply chain. He frequently dealt with public policy issues, privacy, and the company’s relations with the White House and governments around the world.
In contrast, Ternus, who began his career at Apple as a hardware engineer, has very different priorities. He spends a lot of time with Johny Srouji, Senior Vice President of Hardware Technologies, and Tom Marquardt, head of hardware engineering, and remains closely involved in product engineering operations.
Special attention to design
Ternus has also paid special attention to an area that for a long time lacked a single leader to fully oversee it: design. Since Jony Ive’s departure in 2019, Apple has repeatedly changed the leadership structure of its design unit, and the CEO’s direct presence in this area can fill a managerial gap.
According to reports, Apple is preparing several products. The updated MacBook Pro will come with a touch display and OLED technology and, according to reports, has another major change whose details are not available. Apple is also preparing to unveil a new smart home controller device, a HomePod mini speaker, and an Apple TV equipped with a smarter version of Siri.