Apple's New CEO John Ternus Puts Products and Continuity First
Apple CEO John Ternus, in the job for under two months, unveiled a new MacBook Pro with a touchscreen in Los Angeles. In an interview he stressed products, cultural continuity and a measured approach to artificial intelligence.
John Ternus, the new chief executive of US technology company Apple, introduced a new MacBook Pro laptop at an event in Los Angeles this week. It is the first Mac with a touchscreen. Ternus has led Apple for less than two months, and this launch, along with other recent announcements, points to a company focused on its products under his leadership. Wired columnist Steven Levy spoke with him after the presentation.
A product person
Ternus, 51, has worked at Apple for 25 years. Right after college he spent about four years at a virtual reality company. At Apple he rose to vice president for Mac, iPad, ecosystem and audio engineering. Greg Joswiak, the company's head of worldwide marketing, says Ternus has an innate sense for great products. Ternus himself said he had only a handful of interactions with co-founder Steve Jobs, but worked closely with predecessor Tim Cook for years.
Ternus says plainly that he intends to be a force for continuity. Asked which other CEOs he admires or which business books influenced him, he said he had not really thought about it. His key collaborator is Johny Srouji, who leads the company's custom chip development. Apple has merged its hardware engineering and technology organizations, and Srouji now heads them and reports to Ternus.
Politics and AI
Cook, now executive chair, will continue to handle some of Apple's high-level policy duties. Ternus stressed that he is building his own relationships too, but he has not yet met US President Donald Trump.
On artificial intelligence, Ternus said Apple will use it but does not want to ship AI for AI's sake. What matters, he said, is whether the company builds something people love. He does not accept the view that AI will replace today's app ecosystem. Asked about AI regulation, he said Apple's focus is on keeping its products secure and protecting user information.
