GoKawiilApple CEO John Ternus personally overseeing design teams, Bloomberg reports
According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple CEO John Ternus has taken direct oversight of the company's industrial design and human interface teams, a responsibility he assumed even before formally becoming CEO following Jeff Williams' departure as COO. Gurman reports Ternus visits the design studio multiple times a week, sometimes more than once a day, far more frequently than Tim Cook's roughly monthly visits. Apple has not launched a search for a Chief Design Officer to replace Jony Ive, instead relying on internal leaders like Molly Anderson and Steve Lemay alongside Ternus's hands-on involvement.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The lack of a dedicated design chief since Ive's 2019 exit suggests Apple may be experimenting with a CEO-led design structure rather than restoring a singular creative authority. Ternus's engineering background could mean design decisions become more tightly integrated with hardware engineering priorities than under previous leadership. The reported talent losses to Meta and OpenAI may be adding urgency to Ternus's hands-on approach as Apple works to retain and rebuild design expertise.
- Bloomberg reports CEO John Ternus directly oversees Apple's industrial design and human interface teams
- Ternus reportedly visits the design studio multiple times weekly, far more often than Tim Cook did
- Apple has no active search for a Chief Design Officer despite losing talent like Alan Dye to Meta
Source: 9to5mac.com — Michael Burkhardt, 2026-10-04
Published there as: “John Ternus is taking a more ‘hands-on’ role in Apple’s design teams as CEO: report”
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