John Ternus became Apple’s new CEO this week, and today the Financial Timespublished a profile that offers fresh insights into Ternus’s life and reputation among Apple employees and partners.
John Ternus is Apple’s new CEO, stepping into the role just days ago as Tim Cook transitioned to Executive Chair.
9to5Mac Editor-in-Chief Chance Miller has a great rundown here of what we know about Ternus, including his education, early career, public statements, and more.
But a new profile published today at the Financial Times adds fresh details and insights to the story.
Regarding Ternus’s reputation inside Apple, it says he “is known within the company for being both highly competent and unshowy.” A key Apple supply partner echoes this:
“It was very obvious from the earliest days that John was super-talented,” says Wendell Weeks, chief executive of longtime Apple glass supplier Corning, who started working with him during the <a href="https://myappsplus.com/ai-completely-changed-how-i-develop-iphone-apps-and-i-think-i-love-it/” title=”AI completely changed how I develop iPhone apps … and I think I love it”>development of the iPad nearly two decades ago. Weeks describes Ternus as a humble “good guy” but adds that his hobby of racing cars might give an insight into another side of his character. “There are not many non-passionate people that drive race cars…but at the same time, you have to be wicked calm and really dedicated to excellence if you’re good at it. And John is good at it.”
One former Apple executive did tell FT that Ternus is “relatively unknown outside the hardware organisation” at the company. It’s unclear how recently that executive was at Apple, however, as Ternus’s presence internally seems to have been elevated in the past year.
Tim Cook has said that Apple “really wanted this transition to be the best.” And per one anecdote from the profile, it seems like it’s been received that way internally.
the company is celebrating what appears to be a smooth handover. A party for Ternus at Apple Park on Tuesday included DJing from Apple Music’s creative director Zane Lowe. But not everyone was there. One employee said they were already so acclimatised to the change in CEO that they did not feel the need to attend.
Beyond these insights, FT does add a few key tidbits about Ternus’s otherwise very private personal life. The profile says he is married, has children, and was born and raised in California.
For further reading on Apple’s new CEO, see our previous coverage below:
- Who is John Ternus? Everything you need to know about Apple’s next CEO
- John Ternus just revealed his priorities in first introduction as Apple CEO
- Read John Ternus’s full memo to Apple employees on his first day as CEO
We’ll see Ternus in his first public appearance as CEO at Apple’s big iPhone launch event next week.
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