John Ternus, SVP of hardware engineering, has reportedly taken over Apple's design teams and cemented his position as the likely long-term replacement of CEO Tim Cook.
Ternus has long been rumored as a potential successor for Tim Cook, and he has taken on a more public-facing role in recent years. Now, Cook has placed him in charge of Apple's iconic design team, albeit without any official announcement.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that Cook put the design team under John Ternus at the end of 2025. However, the company's internal and external organizational charts still do not reflect the change.
The report notes that Ternus is now the "executive sponsor" for all design work within Apple. He is the one who handles design discussions during meetings of the executive team across both software and hardware.
Apple's design team has a history of being a key component of the company. Jony Ive was the head of the team throughout Apple's most important years, ushering in some of its most iconic designs.
Ternus replaces Jeff Williams, who retired at the end of 2025.
The lack of any official announcement about the change is notable. The report says that there are concerns that such a move would further highlight Ternus as "a rising star" within the company. Such a move would inevitably lead to questions about Cook's plans for the future.
Alongside taking on responsibility for Apple design, it's reported that Cook is also trying to involve Ternus in more aspects of the company's business. This further backs up the belief that Cook is preparing Ternus to eventually take his place at the head of the company.
Cook turned 65 in November 2025, and while there isn't thought to be any impending retirement, succession planning is ultimately part of Cook's remit. With that in mind, it's no surprise that he has a replacement in mind.
