John Ternus officially became Apple CEO
"I feel extremely secure in handing over the position to a talented, wonderful and capable person like John," Tim Cook shared in a letter to Apple employees on August 31. "Few people understand what it takes to create world-changing products like John, and I couldn't be more excited about his leadership."
On his last day as CEO, Apple held a farewell ceremony for Tim Cook, marking his 15-year tenure. According to Bloomberg, Cook and Ternus were "inseparable in internal meetings" during the leadership transition. The new CEO also moved to Cook's office at Apple Park headquarters, preparing for a "new dynasty".
Ternus, 51, has spent 25 years working his way up at Apple. He was recruited to the product design team in 2001. In 2013, he was given the position of vice president of hardware engineering, before becoming senior vice president of hardware engineering in 2021. TechCrunch said that Apple's choice shows that the company's next era will "focus more strongly on hardware and product execution".
In fact, under Ternus' leadership, Apple launched many highlight products, such as the ultra-thin iPhone Air, low-cost MacBook Neo and AirPods with hearing health support features. Hardware will also play an important role in the AI era both in the consumer market and in the enterprise.
According to CNN, Ternus was the "chosen person" because he had both technical expertise and internal knowledge. His mark is present on every generation of iPad, AirPods and new iPhone lines. He also played a large role in the Mac transition from Intel chips to Apple Silicon.
However, leading a $4,600 billion empire will also face many challenges. According to Fortune, Tim Cook has turned Apple into "the king of cash flow" and one of the giants in the global supply chain. And the new CEO will have to grapple with the question of artificial intelligence strategy, where they face competition from rivals like OpenAI.
Ternus took over amid the memory chip crisis, which threatened to reduce profits, growth rates and cause Apple's revenue to slow down. Besides, even longtime fans evaluate that the company is losing some of its appeal in product design.
With the iPhone as its main card, despite holding 1/5 of smartphones sold globally, Apple has long stopped really surprising consumers. Recent launch events are quite predictable with small camera upgrades or regular technical specifications improvements. Software overhauls, such as the Liquid Glass design, have also met with mixed reviews.
However, experts believe that Ternus will still maintain success for Apple. According to Marcus Nelson, technology entrepreneur and CEO of AI for Main Street, many people also asked who Tim Cook was when he replaced Steve Jobs 15 years ago and the same thing is happening.
"Soon, Ternus will become a household name. Cook is a logistics expert, and Ternus is a hardware expert when AI is emerging. Cook is the right choice for his time, Ternus is also suitable for Apple now," Nelson told CNN.
"He doesn't need to have the strongest trump card to win," Gene Munster, one of the famous investors in Silicon Valley, told Fortune. "He just needs to continue to have strong enough cards. The first priority is to set the pace of innovation and artificial intelligence, and try to close the gap."
According to CNBC, Ternus also receives great support from Apple employees. In internal statements, he expressed confidence, composure and excitement when mentioning the product roadmap for the next few years. "That's really reassuring," one Apple employee said. "He has great faith and optimism that all difficulties can be solved."
Business Insider said that people who have worked with or known Ternus appreciate him for his confident, steadfast, approachable demeanor and as a talented product engineer with "encyclopedic memory". Not a hot-tempered and never satisfied technology genius like the late CEO Steve Jobs or a design master like former vice president Jony Ive, but Ternus is expected to know how to get Apple through difficulties.
In the letter dated August 31, Tim Cook quoted Steve Jobs's words about "making a mark in the universe". He expects Apple to do that thanks to "what we believe in", as well as "the values we cherish and how we view the world".
Tim Cook will continue to serve as Chairman of Apple. Meanwhile, the first challenge for John Ternus is what Apple will announce at the September 9 event.