Tim Cook, Apple's current CEO, is approaching retirement age, and conjecture about his replacement abounds. According to Bloomberg, Apple's Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, John Ternus, is regarded a front-runner.
Tim Cook, the man who steered Apple into becoming a multi-trillion dollar behemoth after taking over from Steve Jobs in 2011, is nearing his 64th birthday– which is the retirement age typically. With that comes conjecture about who would follow him as CEO. Many names have surfaced, but Bloomberg's most recent story indicates that John Ternus, a long-time loyalist, may be the favourite.
But who is John Ternus, and why is he under consideration? Ternus is presently the Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering at Apple, reporting directly to Tim Cook. Ternus has spent over 23 years at Apple, helping to shape some of the company's most famous products, such as the iPhone, iPad, and AirPods. His leadership with switching the Mac to Apple Silicon strengthens his credentials. Ternus was a mechanical engineer at Virtual Research Systems prior to joining Apple. He has a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania.
While Ternus appears as a strong contender, many had previously identified Jeff Williams, Apple's Chief Operating Officer, as the most likely replacement. However, Williams' age of 61 years may work against him in the eyes of Apple's board of directors, who are seeking for a leader capable of leading the firm for at least a decade, similar to Jobs and Cook.
Other possible possibilities, according to rumours, include Craig Federighi (Senior Vice President of Software Engineering), Dan Riccio (Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering), Deirdre O'Brien (Senior Vice President of Retail), and Phil Schiller (Apple Fellow). However, they are viewed as fewer likely candidates for the top post.
As Apple considers its future leadership, Ternus and Williams stay in the limelight, with the former emerging as the obvious successor to Tim Cook's legacy. The transfer to a new CEO is no easy task, especially for a firm as powerful as Apple, but with experienced leaders like Ternus on board, the tech behemoth appears ready for a seamless succession.