Apple‘s next CEO, Jorn Ternus, is already talking a lot more confidently about AI, but he does not sound interested in turning the company into a copy of its rivals. According to Bloomberg, John told employees at an all-hands meeting that artificial intelligence will create “almost unlimited potential” for Apple and open up entirely new possibilities across products and services.
At the same time, he also stressed that Apple will keep the design at the center of what it does, and stick to Apple’s core identity. To recall, Apple just announced that Ternus will take over as CEO on September 1, 2026, with Tim Cook moving into the role of executive chairman.
What is Apple’s new CEO promising?
When talking about AI, Apple has often sounded careful, even a little behind the pace, compared to other tech giants like Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI. But Ternus appears to be trying to project much more optimism with AI.
Bloomberg’s report adds that he told staff he is especially excited to step into the role at this moment and described this period as the most exciting time in his Apple career for building products and services. Apple’s next CEO is inheriting a company that is still being judged heavily on its AI execution. So these remarks come across as an early signal about where he wants to place emphasis.
But not everything is changing
Even with that stronger AI language, Ternus did not pitch a dramatic identity reset. Apple isn’t suddenly turning into an AI-first company. Some things “can never change and won’t change”, is what he said, believing that the company’s privacy, security, and environmental efforts would remain intact, and that Apple’s mission and character would stay the same under his leadership.
So the next Apple CEO seems to be telling both employees and customers that even Apple can push harder on AI without abandoning the traits it still believes separate it from the rest of the industry. For a company that has long sold itself as the place where hardware, software, privacy, and industrial design meet, the reassurance is probably just as important as any AI promise.