Apple CEO John Ternus is taking a hands-on role with the company’s design organization, reportedly working directly with teams several times a week and, on some days, more than once. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that Ternus is now the final decision-maker above Apple’s industrial and software-interface design groups.
That is a notably more frequent presence than under Tim Cook, who Bloomberg says visited Apple’s design studio roughly once a month. Ternus had reportedly begun overseeing the area during the leadership transition that followed Jeff Williams’ departure, before formally replacing Cook as CEO.
Apple is not said to be seeking a new Chief Design Officer. Instead, its design leadership remains split between Molly Anderson, vice president of Industrial Design, and Steve Lemay, vice president of Human Interface Design. Apple’s leadership page lists the two executives separately, while Bloomberg reports that Ternus sits above both groups for final decisions.
The structure marks a continued departure from the period when Jony Ive held broad authority over Apple design. Ive left Apple in 2019, and the company has since reorganized its design operation rather than appointing a direct successor with the same company-wide role. The reported approach gives Ternus, an engineer by background, a more direct connection to choices spanning product form, materials, durability, repairability and manufacturing.
Ternus previously led Hardware Engineering and has worked across Apple’s major hardware lines, including the Mac, iPad, iPhone and AirPods. His closer involvement comes as Apple is reportedly pursuing more substantial product changes, including a future MacBook Pro said to be lighter through a miniaturized and reorganized internal design.
The leadership change also follows departures from Apple’s design ranks. Alan Dye, who led Human Interface Design from 2015, left for Meta, while OpenAI and Ive have recruited Apple talent for their own hardware efforts. Whether Apple’s split leadership model can retain that talent and shape its next generation of products will be tested by the first major releases developed under Ternus’ direct oversight.
