Apple Inc. (AAPL) has reportedly roped in hardware chief John Ternus into design work, widening his role to include him in one of the company’s most critical functions.
According to a report from Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter, CEO Tim Cook pulled in Ternus to manage Apple’s design teams at the end of last year.
Ternus is now considered the “executive sponsor” within the company for all designs on Cook’s management team, as per the report.
The expansion comes amid reports that Apple is eyeing the hardware chief to succeed Cook, if he decides to step down.
Shares of AAPL rose about 0.28% at the time of writing.
Ternus At Apple
With Ternus now overseeing design, it brings the leader into the realm of software as well as hardware, a responsibility that has often been awarded only to senior leaders. The expanded role will transition to Ternus being a bridge between Apple’s design and hardware products.
Ternus will not be the final decision-maker for design, as per the report. These will likely be made by consensus, as has been the norm for several years now.
Craig Federighi, heading software engineering, is considered to influence software design substantially, while marketing head Greg Joswiak also has a strong say, as per the report. Ternus has so far been part of the process from the hardware engineering side.
However, Apple’s design team heads are still reporting directly to Cook, both internally as well as in the company’s public disclosures, as per Bloomberg’s report. The arrangement that involves Ternus overseeing design teams at Apple while still having them technically report to Cook is seen as a strange arrangement by Apple’s employees, according to the report.
Yet, it is Cook’s decision to do so, in an attempt to give Ternus increased exposure to more operations in the company, as per the people cited in the report. Despite the added responsibilities for Ternus, there are no other indicators that Cook will step down any time soon, as per the report.
Succession Plan
According to an earlier report from The New York Times, Apple has been accelerating its succession plans for Cook since 2025, as the long-time chief has been looking to reduce his workload. Cook is likely to stay on as the chairman of Apple’s board if he decides to step down, as per the report.
Ternus, the youngest member of the tech giant’s executive leadership team, is considered to be among the front-runners for the role.
Apart from Ternus, Apple’s chief operating officer, Sabih Khan, is also being considered for the role, according to Bloomberg. Former COO Jeff Williams, who stepped down last year, is another contender to succeed Cook, as per the report.
How Did Stocktwits Users React?
On Stocktwits, retail sentiment around AAPL shares remained in the ‘bullish’ territory over the past day amid ‘high’ message volumes.
Shares of AAPL gained over 11% in the last year.
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