Yeah, This Guy’s Looking Like the Frontrunner for New CEO of Apple

It looks like Tim Cook’s potential replacement is getting called up for a major league tryout. According to Bloomberg, John Ternus, Apple’s current head of hardware engineering, is having his role expanded and will now be handling design work within his unit. It’s the latest indicator that he could be next in line to take the top spot at the company when Cook decides to step down.

Per the report, Ternus first got the call to take on hardware design around the end of last year. That puts Ternus in a position to oversee both hardware and software, seemingly providing a test case to see what direction he might take the company—and see how the public responds to it. (It doesn’t seem like he is responsible for the “liquid glass” update that has been widely derided, so if he can figure out how to fix that, he’d be off to a great start.)

Ternus has been gaining momentum as the potential Cook successor for a while now. Earlier this month, the New York Times profiled him and documented some of his time at Apple, which he joined in 2001. It highlighted Ternus’ idea to add a small, photo-enhancing laser to high-end iPhones rather than all devices because die-hards would be willing to pay for it, while the average consumer wouldn’t care.

The suggestion seems to be that Ternus would be a pragmatic CEO, following more closely in the footsteps of Cook than the more vision-driven approach of Steve Jobs. One former Apple employee told the Times, “If you want to make an iPhone every year, Ternus is your guy.” Of course, that won’t exactly be music to the ears of people who believe Apple’s design approach has stagnated over the years and the company has lost some of the luster that Jobs was able to bring by introducing devices like the iPhone and iPad.

Bloomberg did note that while the role Ternus has been thrust into suggests a springboard to CEO-ship, it’s not a surefire guarantee that serving as the design overlord will get you the top spot. Jony Ive held down the seat for years before eventually departing from Apple in 2019, apparently over frustrations that the company stopped emphasizing innovation and started focusing on churning out replicable designs that drive profits. Jeff Williams most recently held the position, but he retired last year and was nearly the same age as Cook, so he wasn’t in line for a promotion.

Whether Ternus ends up the heir to Apple’s throne, we’ll have to see. But it sure looks like he’s being given first crack at it.