John Ternus became Apple's CEO on September 1, 2026, after Tim Cook moved into the role of Executive Chairman. It has been just over a month and we already have a sense of how Ternus plans to run Apple. He is reportedly taking a much more hands-on role in Apple's design, compared to his predecessor.
John Ternus Takes Direct Charge of Apple Design
According to Mark Gurman's latest Power On newsletter, both of Apple's main design teams now report directly to John Ternus. These are the industrial design team, which designs the look and feel of Apple's hardware and the human interface team, which designs the software for Apple iPhones, iPads, Apple Watch, MacBooks, and more.
Ternus is also said to be very involved in the day-to-day work. The report says he "works hands-on in the studio several times a week, sometimes visiting multiple times in a single day." In simple terms, Ternus is directly involved with the design teams to bring his engineering skills to shape Apple's future product portfolio.
This is a big change from the Tim Cook era. According to Gurman, Cook visited the design studio roughly once a month. Cook was known for his strength in operations and supply chain, rather than product design.
However, Ternus comes from a different background, as he was Apple's Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering and spent over 25 years at the company. He led the development of the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and more. So, it makes sense that he wants to stay close to how Apple's products are designed.
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The Reason Why Ternus Is Rebuilding Apple's Design Teams
Apple hasn't had a Chief Design Officer since Jony Ive left the company in 2019. Instead, the design team is split into two parts, each with its own leader:
- Molly Anderson leads industrial design (hardware).
- Steve Lemay leads human interface design (software).
Above them, Ternus now acts as the final decision-maker on design. The design team has also lost several key people over the past year.
Alan Dye, who led Apple's software design and the Liquid Glass redesign, left to join Meta. Several other designers have reportedly been hired by OpenAI, which is building its own AI hardware with Jony Ive. Former COO Jeff Williams, who used to oversee the design team, has also retired.
According to Gurman, Ternus is now actively recruiting new talent to fill these gaps and rebuild the team. That said, it is still early days and it will probably take a year or two before we see products that are fully shaped by John Ternus.
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