Apple CEO John Ternus Works in the Design Studio Several Times a Week, Bloomberg Reports

Apple chief executive John Ternus has become the company's hands-on design leader, working in the studio several times a week, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. The account contrasts sharply with his predecessor Tim Cook, who reportedly spent around an hour a month with the design organisation. Apple has not commented on the report (iClarified, iPhone in Canada).

What Bloomberg says

Gurman's Power On newsletter says Ternus "works hands-on in the studio several times a week, sometimes visiting multiple times in a single day," across both the industrial design and human interface teams. Cook typically visited for about an hour once a month at most. All coverage traces back to that one subscriber-only report.

Ternus took over as CEO roughly a month ago, according to 9to5Mac. Before that he led hardware engineering and oversaw development of the iPhone, iPad and Mac. He is an engineer by background, not a trained designer.

Who runs design

Role	Person
Industrial design lead	Molly Anderson (since 2024)
Human interface design lead	Steve Lemay (succeeded Alan Dye)
Final say across both teams	John Ternus, CEO
Chief design officer	Vacant since Jony Ive left in 2019

Gurman reports that Apple is not hiring an outside chief design officer, leaving Ternus as the person who ties the two teams together (MacTech). The Apple Post describes it as an arrangement with no single design chief for hardware and software, overseen directly from the top.

A team that has lost people

The report arrives after a difficult stretch for Apple's design group. 9to5Mac says the teams have lost senior talent, including Alan Dye, who left for Meta, and several designers recruited by OpenAI. Apple's response, according to the same summary, has been to promote junior designers and recruit from outside. The sources give no numbers or dates for the other departures.

Why this matters for products

The Apple Post links the approach to reported plans to cut management layers and give engineers closer access to leadership, with the aim of speeding product development. It ties the timing to a heavy product schedule that includes a redesigned OLED MacBook Pro, which Bloomberg says is significantly lighter than current models, and new smart home hardware.

A CEO closely involved in design choices could shorten the route from prototype to decision. It could also concentrate risk, since fewer people would be positioned to challenge the final call. There is no evidence yet that the approach has changed any product.

What is confirmed and what is not

Everything here comes from Bloomberg's sources as relayed by other outlets. Apple has not confirmed how often Ternus visits the studio or how the design teams report to him. For customers, nothing changes today; the test will be the products that arrive over the next year.

What to watch next

Watch for further departures or hires in the design teams, and for the first products that reflect Ternus's influence, including the MacBook Pro expected at Apple's October 28 event.

Related on Gadgets365

• John Ternus ran his first Apple keynote
• Apple's touchscreen OLED MacBook Pro will be "significantly lighter"
• Apple confirms an October 28 "Pro and Tell" event