John Ternus, Apple's senior vice president of hardware engineering, is a leading candidate to become the company's CEO, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. As he notes, a change in the position of Apple CEO would mean the end of the Tim Cook era.
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On the one hand, Tim Cook ensured the company's financial stability for years, but at the same time he was criticized for the lack of groundbreaking innovations. The new leader will have to meet the challenge of introducing Apple to new technological areas, such as artificial intelligence or mixed reality, which have not yet brought the company the expected successes.
Under Cook, Apple achieved enormous financial success, but the company struggled to enter new technology categories such as generative artificial intelligence, smart home and autonomous vehicles. Ternus, as an engineer with many years of experience, may be key in breaking down these barriers and introducing Apple to new tracks of innovation.
Is Apple getting ready for a change of leader? There is a potential successor to Tim Cook
Tim Cook has not revealed when he plans to step down, but according to Bloomberg, Apple's management is already analyzing potential successors. Meanwhile, Ternus, who is increasingly in the spotlight at product launches, seems a natural candidate to lead Apple's new era.
John Ternus joined Apple in 2001 as an engineer and over the years has worked on key company products including the iPad, Mac, AirPods and iPhone. In 2021, he was promoted to Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering.
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According to sources close to Apple cited by Bloomberg, Ternus is valued for his presentation skills, gentle management style and ability to make well-thought-out decisions. “Tim likes him a lot because he can give a good presentation, he's very gentle, he never puts anything controversial in an email and he's a very reserved decision-maker,” said an anonymous person quoted by Bloomberg.
