Who is John Ternus?

After 15 years at the helm, Tim Cook is stepping down as the CEO of Apple, with his replacement coming from within the company: John Ternus.

Previously the Senior Vice President for hardware engineering at Apple, Ternus joined the famed product design team in 2001. Born in 1975, Ternus earned his degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, and also represented the school as a competitive swimmer. After graduating, he spent four years at Virtual Research Systems before joining Apple.

Ternus initially worked on external Mac monitors, but as his career took off, eventually focused on Apple's mobile products, overseeing every model of the iPod as well as the latest editions of the iPhone, and the development of AirPods — and has led the transition of the Mac to Apple's own silicon, the company notes.

"I started in product design… I'm a mechanical engineer by background," he said in an interview with CNBC last year. "I've had the great fortune of working on pretty much every type of product that we make."

Of the Mac transition to in-house silicon, Ternus said it was a fun project in part because of the dedicated user base. "We were able to work together to develop an architecture that was perfectly suited for the kinds of things our Mac users do."

Asked about his favourite hardware launch, Ternus said it was very hard to pick one. "It's like asking who's your favorite child," he said, before naming a few — including AirPods, saying it "fundamentally changed how people use earphones."

The next CEO of Apple

Ternus first made headlines for succeeding Dan Riccio as Apple's hardware chief, after he stepped down to focus on an unknown internal project that was later revealed to be the Apple Vision Pro. Ternus again hit the spotlight after a Bloomberg story in 2024 discussed likely successors to Cook — an analysis sparked in part by comments Cook made on singer Dua Lipa's podcast, noting there were several people considered as potential successors inside Apple, though he intended to stay "a while".

The initial belief that Ternus could be a contender for the top job seemed to be focused on his youth, which made sense as there was potential for Cook to stick around for several years more. However, beyond that, it was felt that his background in hardware and the fact that he was a popular figure within Apple made him the standout candidate. Bloomberg reported that key execs such as Cook and COO Jeff Williams, were also keen on Ternus.

One source told Bloomberg: "Tim likes him a lot, because he can give a good presentation, he’s very mild-mannered, never puts anything into an email that is controversial and is a very reticent decision-maker." Ternus is seen as both a safe pair of hands as well as successful in his work.

Critics, according to reports, say Ternus isn't truly innovative, instead joining projects once they're in motion, and note that his first key feature change after taking over Mac development was the much maligned Touch Bar. Of course, Ternus has plenty of time to step up given Cook has no plans to depart yet.

Sustainability spokesman

In the meantime, get used to seeing Ternus at various Apple launches, where he's become Apple's go-to for launching hardware, as well as for talking up the company's sustainability efforts, including the use of recycled materials including rare earth minerals and a drive for power efficiency so products use less energy.

In an interview last year, he added that longevity of products was key for sustainability — "the longer a product lasts… that's the best thing we can do both for customers and for the planet," he explained — but he's also had to defend Apple's use of parts pairing, which makes third-party repairs more difficult.

While Senior VP for hardware engineering, Ternus said his team worked to make iPhones more repairable over the last few years, but argued that it needed to go hand-in-hand with quality spare parts. "The reality is repairability is a means to an end," he was quoted as saying. "The goal is to build products that last, and if you focus too much on [making every part repairable], you end up creating some unintended consequences that are worse for the consumer and worse for the planet."

To many, Tetanus seems to have been a CEO in waiting, selected early on because he shares some of the characteristics that made Cook so successful. Perhaps not a trailblazing leader like Steve Jobs, but also not someone to court controversy.

Cook, who will continue to work in a new role as 'executive chairman', said that Ternus "has the mind of an engineer" and that he is well-placed to take the reins at the company.

"He is without question the right person to lead Apple into the future," Cook said in a statement. "I could not be more confident in his abilities and his character, and I look forward to working closely with him on this transition and in my new role as executive chairman."