Tim Cook, who handed over his position as CEO to John Ternus with Apple’s management change in September, said that he did not interfere in the daily management of the company. Cook, who continues to serve as chairman of the board, stated in an interview with The Independent that he has a strong relationship of trust with the new CEO. While Cook emphasized that Ternus should establish its own management approach, he stated that it focused on relations with governments and global policy issues rather than interfering in Apple’s operational decisions. He also stated that he continues to support Ternus in areas where it is needed. Cook’s statements provide details about how the distribution of duties was shaped in Apple’s senior management change after many years.
Tim Cook, who left his position as CEO in September, handed over his position to John Ternus, the company’s director of hardware engineering. Cook, on the other hand, continues to represent Apple publicly, even though he is the chairman of the board. As a matter of fact, his recent attendance at a state dinner held at the White House was one of the examples of this. Speaking to The Independent, Cook explained that the relationship between the two people in the management of the company is based on mutual trust and regular communication. Despite this, he particularly underlined that Ternus did not intervene in his area of responsibility.
Cook said that he and John Ternus trust each other extremely and that the communication between them should be frequent, comprehensive and meaningful. Stating that he is currently primarily interested in public policies around the world, Cook stated that relations with the governments of different countries are necessary for Apple to demand changes on various issues and express their opinions on current regulations. He added that these studies require a significant amount of time. Cook stated that he only assisted Ternus in matters that Ternus deemed appropriate. The former CEO clearly said that the new manager did not interfere in his affairs and did not adopt such a management style.
Tim Cook wants John Ternus to develop his own management style
Apple’s former CEO also explained that the first advice he gave to his successor was not to imitate him. Cook said he suggested Ternus shape his role as CEO according to his own approach and allocate his time to areas where he can contribute the most to the company. Recalling his own experience on this issue, Cook stated that when he took office after Steve Jobs, he did not try to follow his management style exactly. According to Cook, who emphasizes that every manager has different strengths, Ternus should lead Apple in line with his own abilities. In this way, it is aimed to provide space for the new CEO to determine his priorities independently, while maintaining continuity in the management of the company.
In a recent report published by Bloomberg, it was reported that Ternus gave a similar message to his employees. According to the news, Ternus said that, in line with the advice he received from Cook, he should allocate his time to works where he could add the most value to Apple. This statement shows that not only operational issues but also the CEO’s way of working were discussed between the two managers before the transfer of duties. On the other hand, the fact that Ternus managed Apple’s hardware efforts in the past allows him to start his new position with a different experience. However, his responsibilities as CEO now extend beyond product development processes and include the company’s general activities and long-term decisions.
Tim Cook also touched upon the preparation process for the management change in his interview. He stated that he wants to make the transfer of duties a successful process that other companies can examine and take as an example in the future. According to the information provided by Cook, efforts to change the CEO actually started years ago. Stating that the process has progressed largely as predicted so far, Cook shared his opinion that the goals set in the planning phase have been achieved. These statements reveal that Apple did not limit the management change to the date the CEO left office, but spread the preparations over a long period of time.
The fact that John Ternus introduced the iPhone Duo just a few days after taking office was also brought up in the interview. Cook stated that he wanted the new CEO to start his duty under favorable conditions. The introduction of a new product quickly enabled Ternus to take a visible role in Apple’s public-facing activities. In addition, Cook’s continued relations with governments as chairman of the board of directors shows that the company will continue to benefit from his experience in communicating with external stakeholders. Thus, a more clear distribution of duties emerges between the daily management responsibilities of the CEO and the issues that the chairman of the board deals with.
The highlight of Cook’s statements was the balance Apple tried to establish between preserving the past management approach and giving the new CEO room to maneuver. Arguing that Ternus should determine its own priorities, Cook still sees it as necessary to maintain regular communication and mutual trust. Having the former CEO remain active in dealings with governments may support continuity in management, particularly in terms of discussions with regulators. However, it will become clearer over time to what extent Ternus’ decisions on Apple’s product calendar, operations and general functioning will differ. For now, Cook’s statements show that he intends to separate the responsibilities of the two executives and let Ternus manage Apple with his own way of working.