John Ternus Said to be a ‘Decisive’ CEO, Aiming to ‘Reinvent’ Apple’s Product Lineup

Fresh off the news that Apple CEO Tim Cook is stepping down on September 1st, soon-to-be CEO John Ternus is now said to be taking a more “decisive” approach in the role.

A new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman states that Ternus will be more pragmatic in his decision-making as Apple’s new CEO. According to Gurman, who spoke to an unnamed source who has worked closely with Cook and Ternus, the latter “will make decisions.”

It would appear that throughout his tenure as CEO, Cook was notorious for his hands-off approach to certain decisions regarding Apple products. “If you go to Tim with ‘A’ or ‘B,’ he won’t pick. He’ll ask a series of questions instead if he has concerns,” the source told Gurman. While having the final say ultimately, Cook would frequently lean on other top executives to make those decisions.

“Ternus, on the other hand, will choose,” the source said. In stark contrast to Cook, “It could be right or wrong, but at least it’s a decision.”

It’s been reported that earlier this month, Ternus reorganized the hardware engineering division around a new AI platform. The goal is to accelerate product development and improve quality for new devices. It’s claimed that Ternus is keen to quickly utilize AI across the company to improve efficiency.

Ternus is also reported to have pushed back against the development of Vision Pro, which failed to break into the mainstream after its launch. He also opposed the now-cancelled Apple car, which ran the company around $10 billion throughout development. Ternus appears to be much more risk-averse than his predecessor, which could bode well for the future, as it seems he will “reinvent” Apple’s product line-up in the short term with a “sharper focus.”

Cook is due to hand the role of CEO over to Ternus on September 1st, 2026. During this window, Ternus will step in to launch the iPhone 18 Pro models and the company’s first foldable. Cook will then shift into a new role as executive chairman.