Apple CEO John Ternus discusses CEO offer, AI and Vision Pro in Clique TV interview
Apple CEO John Ternus told Clique TV he never imagined being asked to lead the company, discussing AI, Vision Pro, parental controls and lessons from Steve Jobs and Tim Cook.
Ternus said Cook asked whether he would consider becoming CEO. “I never in a million years would have imagined that happening,” he said, adding that his approach had always been to “be here, focus on the work, build great things, love every minute of it.” He called being asked about the opportunity “pretty mind-blowing” and “beyond words.”
Asked about lessons from Steve Jobs and Tim Cook, Ternus pointed to a forward-looking mindset rather than a specific quotation. “What’s kind of the most important lesson I’ve learned from both of them is ‘focus on the future,’” he said. “Yesterday was an amazing day. It was so exciting. We launched a product. Today it’s onto the future, onto the next thing.”
On AI, Ternus said generative AI is a powerful technology that makes this the most exciting time in his career to build products, because it enables things that previously were science fiction. He said Apple is excited to take the technology and use it in different ways to build new experiences, new products and new capabilities. “It’s going to be fun,” he said.
Ternus also defended Apple Vision Pro in the interview, according to 9to5Mac, though the report did not include specific remarks. He discussed technology use by children and pointed to iOS 27’s new parental controls. When Achour noted that some technology leaders do not let their children use phones or computers, Ternus said he could not quite relate because his own children use them. He said his family talked about the issue a lot and set rules. “Here is the time when you can be using these things and these are the things you can use them for, and here are the times when you shouldn’t be on your device,” he said.
The interview also covered the newly unveiled iPhone Duo and iPhone 18 Pro, whether iPhone users should upgrade models each year, and Apple’s involvement in health, according to 9to5Mac. The appearance marked one of Ternus’s first major interviews since becoming CEO.
Editor's Summary
Apple CEO John Ternus gave a Clique TV interview in which he discussed being asked by Tim Cook to consider the CEO role, his focus on the future, AI’s product potential, Vision Pro, parental controls and recent iPhone models. The interview, reported by 9to5Mac, offered an early public look at Ternus’s priorities as he begins his tenure.