John Ternus Puts Product First as Apple Consolidates Engineering

Overview

• The brief MacBook Pro unveiling that Ternus led on Friday was low-key and meant to showcase product work as the centerpiece of his early tenure.
• Ternus tells WIRED that his single-word focus is “product,” saying he will push Apple to build things people love rather than adopt AI for its own sake.
• Apple has reorganized engineering by merging hardware engineering and technology under Johny Srouji, who now reports directly to Ternus and tightens design control.
• Ternus says Apple will integrate AI selectively into features with an emphasis on security and protecting user data rather than pursuing large frontier models.
• Tim Cook has moved to executive chair to handle high-level policy and relationships while reporting and industry coverage notes faster product cadence and earlier management changes have created short-term staff uncertainty.