John Ternus has basically made himself Apple’s design chief.
While the design team technically reported to Tim Cook, it was understood that Ternus effectively ran it as part of the transition to CEO. But rather than hire an outside design chief now that there’s a lot more responsibility on his plate, Ternus has fully immersed himself. Per Bloomberg: > Ternus already had some involvement with the design studio as Apple’s head of hardware engineering, given the close coordination required between the two functions. 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. [Link: Apple’s John Ternus Has Found a New Design Chief: Himself | https://www.bloomberg.com/news/newsletters/2026-10-04/apple-s-john-ternus-leads-design-touch-screen-oled-macbook-pro-gets-lighter | Bloomberg]
While the design team technically reported to Tim Cook, it was understood that Ternus effectively ran it as part of the transition to CEO. But rather than hire an outside design chief now that there’s a lot more responsibility on his plate, Ternus has fully immersed himself. Per Bloomberg: > Ternus already had some involvement with the design studio as Apple’s head of hardware engineering, given the close coordination required between the two functions. 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. [Link: Apple’s John Ternus Has Found a New Design Chief: Himself | | Bloomberg]
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