Apple CEO John Ternus sends first memo to employees, teases ‘phenomenal’ 9 September launch

John Ternus has officially taken over as Apple CEO, succeeding Tim Cook, who has transitioned to Executive Chairman. In his first letter to the employees, Ternus thanked everyone for their support and expressed his appreciation for Cook's leadership, calling him a “leader who led Apple with values, decency, and humanity.” The memo was sent to employees on the first day that Ternus became CEO, MacRumors reports.

The message contained a short preview of Apple's near future. Employees were told by Ternus that Apple had a “huge launch next week” that would be ‘phenomenal’, a reference widely interpreted as the company's 9 September “Surprise and Shine” event, where the iPhone 18 series is expected to be unveiled. While he did not mention any product by name, he said he was equally excited about the products already in development and those Apple has yet to imagine.

Ternus highlights Apple’s future roadmap

In the memo, Ternus described Apple as the “greatest company in the world” and believes the company could “continue to be great with the same team.” He expressed his appreciation to the staff for their efforts in developing future products and stressed the need for further innovation in collaboration with the staff.

In a statement on MacRumors, Ternus explained that there was “no team in the world” he would prefer to build the future with. His comments indicate that Apple is seeking to keep things consistent while also anticipating future products and technologies.

Leadership changes underway at Apple

Ternus brings a strong product-development background to the CEO role. He has been with Apple since 2001, and his last position before his departure was Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, where he oversaw the manufacturing of key products for the company.

Apple has restructured various teams as part of the leadership change. Johny Srouji has also been promoted to Chief Hardware Officer, where he will take over the hardware engineering division from Ternus. Apple has also reorganised its product design team, and former engineering vice president Laura Legros will be joining the company.

First major test comes at the September event

The event on 9 September will be the first time Ternus serves as CEO for an Apple product launch. It's likely the event will feature the iPhone 18 lineup and other new devices and therefore is an influential occasion for Apple's brand-new management era.

Before stepping down as CEO, Cook praised Ternus in a message to employees, saying he took “enormous comfort” in handing over leadership to someone he described as "brilliant", "wonderful", and "capable". As Apple prepares to release one of its most significant products of the year, it's only natural that the spotlight is now on Ternus as he begins to move the company forward.