Tim Cook can certainly be credited with many skills, but hardly anyone mentions him as a design specialist. The reactions were all the more astonishing when it was announced last summer that he was now heading the design department – after the departure of Jeff Williams. He was previously involved in much more at Apple than one would expect for a COO – since Apple did not fill the position of actual head of design after Jony Ive’s departure, Williams was also subject to that area. When Williams retired, design suddenly reported directly to Tim Cook. However, according to a Bloomberg article, that only lasted a few months. Ternus is now also head of the design department
At the end of 2025, Cook transferred responsibility to John Ternus. He is currently serving as hardware boss, but is seen in the industry as Cook’s most likely successor. In addition to its actual area of responsibility, Ternus is already deeply involved in strategic considerations surrounding product plans, functions and general company decisions. A few weeks ago design was added. He already appears as a representative of the design department in management meetings, although far-reaching decisions are made together with Federighi and Joswiak.
Another step on the way to becoming Apple CEO?
According to Bloomberg, the appointment is related to Cook’s strategy to introduce Ternus into more and more areas – this in turn as part of the “future CEO” development program. It is not known when the change will take place. According to several reports, Apple is preparing to at least be able to change at any time if, for example, Cook were to fail. Other voices said that Cook was already taking a step back and was preparing for a handover of office later this year. Ternus would therefore be the same age as Cook when he took over the helm 15 years ago, initially temporarily and then permanently.
