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Apple to Revive Company’s Design Team, Leadership Under John Ternus: Mark Gurman

Apple to Revive Company’s Design Team, Leadership Under John Ternus: Mark Gurman

Apple's next CEO, John Ternus, stepped up to oversee the design team at the company last year.

Written by Nithya P Nair, Edited by David Delima | Updated: 22 June 2026 14:07 IST

Apple to Revive Company’s Design Team, Leadership Under John Ternus: Mark Gurman

Photo Credit: Apple

Apple's industrial design team was the company's creative powerhouse for decades

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Highlights

Apple's design team made iconic products under Steve Jobs and Jony Ive
John Ternus will likely find a new leader for the design department
Leadership changes and departures weakened the industrial design team

Apple is witnessing a major leadership transition, with Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering John Ternus set to replace Tim Cook as CEO on September 1. As the company is set to undergo major management change, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman opines that Ternus' priority at Apple will be to revamp the company's design team and put the focus back on the look and feel of products. The new CEO is likely to place less emphasis on financial engineering. Apple's design department was a key highlight of the brand a decade ago. Now the same department is viewed as less influential, with fewer leaders and less innovative product designs.

Apple's New CEO to Prioritise Rebuilding Design Team

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, in his latest weekly Power On newsletter, said that John Ternus needs to prioritise making "Apple's products cool again", and the new CEO will place less emphasis on the financial engineering that characterised much of the Tim Cook era and more emphasis on product engineering, design and innovation.

John Ternus Discussion

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Gurman says John Ternus will likely find a new leader for the design department, restoring the design studio's prowess to deliver new designs. John Ternus is already aware that Apple's design organisation needs significant changes, and his decision to take direct oversight of Apple's design group last year indicates he is gearing up to leave his own mark on the team. Tim Cook's involvement with the industrial design team was reportedly more limited.

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During a recent meeting with employees, Ternus reportedly said that the company is “going to keep focusing on design, because design is core to what we do at Apple.” He noted that Apple has delivered exceptional design to customers more than any other company in history and added that for most customers, the most beautifully designed product they own is an Apple device. Ternus says keeping this standard will remain a priority under his leadership.

Apple's industrial design team was a strong area for years, and it shaped many iconic products under Steve Jobs and Jony Ive. However, after Ive stepped back from leadership and eventually left the company, design gradually lost its influence within Apple's executive structure.

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Under Tim Cook, operations and financial efficiency increasingly took precedence over design. A series of leadership changes weakened the industrial design team in recent years. The department now has a few high-profile leaders, and all this has made the historic innovation hub less relevant and powerful. The latest comments by Gurman suggest that the new CEO is all set to leave his own mark on Apple's Design team.

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Further reading: John Ternus, Apple, Tim Cook, Apple Design Team

Nithya P Nair

Email Nithya P Nair

Nithya P Nair is a journalist with more than five years of experience in digital journalism. She specialises in business and technology beats. A foodie at heart, Nithya loves exploring new places (read cuisines) and sneaking in Malayalam movie dialogues to spice up conversations. More