John Ternus: Apple’s new plans for releases, managers, and costs

Apple’s new CEO John Ternus aims to transform the company: more frequent releases, fewer managers, and a focus on engineering

John Ternus, Apple’s newly appointed CEO, has begun a major review of the company’s product strategy, aiming to make it more agile and innovative. According to Bloomberg, the key areas of change will include revising the release schedule for new products, optimizing the management structure, and strengthening the role of engineering teams.

Moving away from seasonal launches: Apple aims for an all-year rhythm

Apple’s traditional approach to releases, which centered on major presentations mostly in the fall and sometimes in the spring, may soon be a thing of the past. Ternus is considering introducing more frequent product launches throughout the year. Management believes this step will allow the company to respond faster to market changes and create more opportunities to sell both devices and related services.

Next year promises to be busy for Apple. According to sources, the company is preparing to launch a significant number of new products. These include AirPods with integrated cameras, Apple’s first smart glasses, and an updated version of the iPhone dedicated to the smartphone’s 20th anniversary.

Optimizing the structure: fewer managers, more focus on engineers

One of Ternus’s priorities is reducing the number of management layers within the company. In recent weeks, Apple’s hardware division has already begun cutting managers responsible for coordinating schedules and communication between teams. Several such specialists have reportedly been let go, including around six directors. They have been given a few weeks to find new positions within Apple, while those who are unable to do so will be laid off later this year.

Even before his appointment as CEO, John Ternus advocated for a leaner and more efficient company structure. He repeatedly emphasized the need to hire fewer people, rely more on existing engineers, and eliminate unnecessary management layers. These changes have already led to small cuts across various teams and to the earlier winding down of projects considered less promising. The cuts have affected, in particular, teams working on Siri, Vision Pro, and areas related to artificial intelligence development.

At the same time, Ternus sees artificial intelligence not only as a potential advantage for future products, but also as a tool for speeding up internal development processes. Although Apple previously planned to cut about 5,000 AppleCare employees by shifting some of their tasks to AI agents, that plan is currently on hold.

New revenue horizons: services and innovation

Under John Ternus’s leadership, and with the involvement of services chief Eddy Cue and CFO Kevan Parekh, Apple is actively seeking new sources of revenue. This is especially relevant amid a slowdown in the company’s services business growth. The strategy of launching new products more frequently is seen as one way to boost sales of both devices and services.

John Ternus, who took over the CEO role from Tim Cook, has extensive experience in hardware development. He has contributed to the creation of popular products such as the iPad, AirPods, and multiple generations of the iPhone, Mac, and Apple Watch. His team was also responsible for introducing advanced technologies such as noise cancellation and over-the-counter hearing aids in AirPods, as well as for using new materials, including recycled aluminum and titanium, to improve device durability.