Apple on Monday announced that CEO Tim Cook is stepping down as the company's chief executive officer, with hardware engineering chief John Ternus set to take the helm. In a new Bloomberg report, reporter Mark Gurman suggests one of the reasons Ternus has been chosen as successor is for his decision-making style, which is said to be closer to co-founder Steve Jobs than Cook, who has a more deliberative approach.
From the report:
"Ternus will make decisions" when it comes to product development, said one person who has worked closely with both executives. "If you go to Tim with 'A' or 'B,' he won't pick. He'll ask a series of questions instead if he has concerns."
Ternus, on the other hand, will choose, said the person, who asked not to be identified in order to speak candidly. "It could be right or wrong, but at least it's a decision."
That shift could mark the end of an era in which major product decisions were made collectively by a small group of top executives. Ternus is expected to take a more centralized approach where he will be a singular decision-maker.
Earlier this month, Ternus reportedly reorganized the hardware engineering division around a new AI platform designed to speed up product development and improve device quality. Ternus is said to be keen to deploy AI quickly throughout Apple to improve its operations, suggesting he is willing to make clear calls and shake things up where necessary. Ternus has also told employees he will remain closely involved in hardware engineering development, indicating a sharper focus on products.
He is also reportedly ready to push back when it matters – Ternus apparently opposed development of the Vision Pro, which has flopped, as well as the company's autonomous car project that cost around $10 billion, but was ultimately scrapped.
Cook will hand over the reins to Ternus on September 1, in time for him to oversee the launch of the iPhone 18 Pro models as well as the company's first foldable iPhone later the same month. Cook will continue to advise Apple in a new role as executive chairman.
