Since Jony Ive’s departure from Apple in 2019, the company hasn’t had much of a true design lead. For a while, former COO Jeff Williams was in charge of design, until his departure last year. Since then, CEO John Ternus has taken a significant interest in both of Apple’s design teams: industrial design and human interface, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.
This story actually begins prior to John Ternus becoming CEO, which only took place about a month ago. It started with Jeff Williams’ departure as COO. At the time, the company announced that these teams would be reporting to former CEO Tim Cook, but instead, it was reportedly John Ternus. This was one of his key responsibilities while transitioning into CEO.
Of course, it’s no surprise that Ternus is interested in design, seeing as he was formerly in charge of hardware engineering. However, Gurman describes Ternus’ involvement as being “immersed” in the work, and that he often stops by to work with the teams:
Since becoming CEO, however, he has immersed himself in the industrial design and human interface teams. Several people familiar with the department say he works hands-on in the studio several times a week, sometimes visiting multiple times in a single day.
This is in stark contrast to former CEO Tim Cook, who only visited the studio about once a month, per Bloomberg.
Ternus is ‘immersed’ with Apple’s design teams
Ternus as also devoted much attention to refilling the design team’s roles, as the company has lost much talent to outside companies poaching talent. Most notably, Alan Dye left to join Meta, and OpenAI has poached many Apple employees. To rejuvenate the team, Apple has promoted many junior designers and hired new talent from the outside.
Throughout all of this, the company still hasn’t sought out a true Jony Ive replacement to serve as a Chief Design Officer of sorts. According to Bloomberg, no search is underway. Instead, the company has highlighted Molly Anderson and Steve Lemay as respective design leads for industrial design and human interface, with Ternus himself serving as the overarching decision maker for design.
While Ternus lacks a traditional design background, his dedication to it means one thing: design will remain a key cornerstone at the top of Apple.
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