Apple CEO Ternus Deeply Involved in Design Operations

Apple CEO John Ternus has taken a more hands-on role in overseeing the company's design functions, according to reports. Following the departure of former COO Jeff Williams last year, Ternus began leading both the industrial design and human-interface design teams.

While Ternus previously headed hardware engineering, his engagement with design has reportedly become much deeper. Mark Gurman of Bloomberg reports that Ternus is now frequently present at the design studios, working directly with the teams.

Sources indicate Ternus visits the studios several times a week, sometimes multiple times on the same day. This contrasts with former CEO Tim Cook's approach, who reportedly visited the design studio about once a month. Ternus' active participation highlights design's continued importance at Apple's executive level.

Ternus has also focused on rebuilding the design teams, which have experienced attrition, including notable departures to companies like Meta and OpenAI. While Apple has not appointed a direct successor to Jony Ive as chief design officer, Ternus is making final design decisions, with Molly Anderson and Steve Lemay leading industrial design and human-interface design respectively.