John Ternus set to re-establish importance of Apple's design team when he takes over as CEO: report - 9to5Mac
Short summary
Mark Gurman argues that under Tim Cook, Apple’s design team lost clout after Jony Ive left and operations gained sway over product decisions. Incoming CEO John Ternus is reportedly rekindling top-level support for industrial design, spending time with Ive’s former team and gearing up to lead major product reveals like the foldable iPhone.
- Under Tim Cook, Apple's design team lost influence after Jony Ive left, with finance/operations execs gaining sway over product decisions.
- Incoming CEO John Ternus is reportedly restoring design's clout, spending time with Ive's former team ahead of his September 1 takeover.
- Ternus's first major public appearance as CEO will be unveiling Apple's foldable iPhone this fall.
Full summary
Apple’s industrial design team lost clout after Jony Ive left and Jeff Williams took over design oversight. Over the past decade, finance and operations executives pushed product decisions, sidelining the industrial designers who once shaped Apple’s roadmap from the top. Gurman points to talent departures and a lack of a senior design role on Apple’s leadership page as evidence of that shift.
Incoming CEO John Ternus aims to reverse that trend. He’s spent significant time with the industrial design group ahead of his September 1 succession and plans to give them a bigger voice. Ternus told Gurman that “the most beautifully designed thing that most customers own is an Apple product. We’re going to make sure that stays the case.”
Externally, Apple PR is already casting Ternus as the architect of recent hits like the MacBook Neo. Ternus’s first major public appearance as CEO will be unveiling Apple’s foldable iPhone this fall, a clear signal that design will sit front and center under his watch.