Meet the man tipped to replace Apple CEO Tim Cook: John Ternus is the ‘respected’ and ‘mild-mannered’ senior VP who oversaw the iPhone, iPad and AirPods – so is Cook stepping down any time soon?
- Apple CEO Tim Cook told Dua Lipa on her podcast it would still be ‘a while’ before he steps down, but admits he has begun succession planning; now John Ternus is emerging as a front runner
- Ternus has been with Apple since 2001 and oversaw the engineering of the iPhone, iPad and AirPods – he also seems to have hidden talents as a swimmer
Tim Cook, 63, took over the reins from Apple boss Steve Jobs in 2011, and since then, has been widely credited with transforming the business.
While he’s openly said he’s not planning on going any time soon, per Fortune, Cook has admitted that there’s a succession plan. According to Bloomberg, one man has emerged as the front runner – 49-year-old John Ternus. Here’s what we know so far about the man who could shepherd Apple into its next chapter …
What does Ternus do at Apple?
Per the Apple website, Ternus is the senior vice-president of hardware engineering, reporting directly to Cook. According to the profile, he leads the teams behind the iPhone, iPad, Mac and AirPods.
Ternus initially started off in the product design team back in 2001, and in 2013 was made vice-president of hardware engineering. Apple said it was Ternus who oversaw all of the hardware engineering on “every generation and model of iPad, the latest iPhone line-up, and AirPods”.
What is Ternus’ reputation?
According to Bloomberg, Ternus is “well liked inside Apple” and has earned the respect of Cook and other leaders because he is “very mild-mannered, never puts anything into an email that is controversial and is a very reticent decision-maker”. Bloomberg quoted former Apple hardware designer Christopher Stringer as saying that Ternus was someone who has “never failed with any role he’s been elevated to”.