Who is John Ternus, the new CEO of Apple?
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Apple’s incoming CEO John Ternus likely won’t harness the rockstar innovation vibes of Steve Jobs, slinging sleek new devices to an auditorium of fans. But he probably won’t take the quieter style of Tim Cook, who revolutionized the company’s supply chain and boosted its market cap from $300 billion to $4 trillion in 15 years, either. So…what will the Ternus era at Apple look like when he takes over for Cook in September? There are some hints in his already decades-long Apple tenure. Ternus, a mechanical engineer, has worked at the company since 2001 and served as the Senior VP for hardware engineering. Employees at the company reportedly really seem to like him: He’s decisive, focused, a good collaborator, and has been known to rise above the internal drama that plagued Apple’s early years. He’s also overseen a number of iconic products and hardware revamps at the company:
But what can a hardware nerd do in the AI race?Critics argue Apple has been slow to make AI advancements, falling behind competitors. Fans, however, credit the tech giant for letting other companies dump hundreds of billions into data centers and LLMs that Apple can just run on its devices. Some AI truthers think the tech will transform the industry, potentially wiping out the need for iPhones altogether. In that case, it may be a good idea to have the hardware guy at the helm. Ternus reportedly reorganized the company’s hardware engineering department earlier this month to prepare it for faster AI product development. Looking ahead…after a handful of product flops, like the Vision Pro and the autonomous car, Apple has its sights set on big AI-powered launches: a more chatbot-like Siri, wearables, and smart home devices. And don’t forget the company is going to fold the iPhone in half. |