John Ternus at Apple: How the new CEO rose through the company’s hardware ranks

John Ternus has now taken over as Apple CEO, succeeding Tim Cook after nearly 25 years inside the company. His appointment puts an executive with extensive experience across Apple’s product and engineering teams at the head of the technology giant.

This new role represents the latest milestone in Ternus’s career at Apple, which started in 2001 within the Product Design group. Over time, he progressed through a series of increasingly senior hardware leadership positions, broadening his portfolio to oversee key product lines including the Mac, iPad, AirPods, iPhone and Apple Watch.

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His work has also extended beyond product launches, covering areas such as reliability, durability, materials and repairability. Now, as Apple begins a new leadership chapter, Ternus brings that long experience inside the company to its top executive role.

John Ternus joined Apple in 2001

Ternus joined Apple’s Product Design team in 2001, beginning a career that would eventually take him to the company’s top hardware position. His early work included products such as the Apple Cinema Display.

In 2013, he became vice president of Hardware Engineering under Dan Riccio. His responsibilities included hardware development across the Mac and iPad lines, as well as AirPods.

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His role expanded again in 2020 when he took responsibility for iPhone hardware. In 2021, he was promoted to senior vice president of Hardware Engineering, succeeding Riccio. He later took charge of Apple Watch hardware in late 2022.

From product engineering to Apple’s major hardware launches

As his responsibilities grew, Ternus became a familiar face at Apple events and WWDC presentations. He introduced or presented products and updates including iPad Pro models, the iMac Pro, iMac, MacBook Pro and the redesigned Mac Pro.

Apple’s April 2026 announcement also highlighted the breadth of his work. Over nearly 25 years, Ternus has overseen hardware engineering across every Apple product category, including multiple generations of iPhone, Mac and Apple Watch, as well as the introduction of iPad and AirPods.

Reliability, materials and repairability

Ternus’ work has also covered how Apple products are built and maintained. Apple credits his hardware organisation with advances in reliability and durability, along with innovations in materials and repairability.

His team has worked on the use of recycled aluminium and 3D-printed titanium in Apple Watch Ultra 3, while also developing improvements intended to extend product lifespans.

On AirPods, his organisation has driven improvements in active noise cancellation and hearing-health features.