Cook Says "Tired," Hopes to Reduce Work

After steering Apple for 14 years, Tim Cook is starting to feel tired. Even though he remains energetic at 65 and doesn't suffer from jet lag on business trips to East Asia, he is, after all, only human. According to The New York Times, Cook has told senior company executives that he feels fatigued and hopes to reduce his workload. Three anonymous individuals familiar with the company’s internal affairs revealed that Apple accelerated its succession plan for Cook starting last year. The 50-year-old John Ternus appears to have emerged as the leading candidate to become the next CEO. Ternus is the same age as Cook was when he succeeded Steve Jobs. The two share many similarities: both are detail-oriented, well-versed in Apple’s massive supply chain, mild-mannered, adept at collaboration, and capable of navigating the company’s complex management structure with ease. 💻 Ternus joined Apple in 2001, initially working on Mac display development. He climbed the ranks, becoming head of iMac hardware engineering in 2005, and began overseeing both Mac and iPad teams in 2013. In 2018, he proposed applying LiDAR technology exclusively to the high-end Pro series iPhones to balance innovation and costs; in recent years, he has led the lightweight design project for the iPhone Air and pushed for the transition of Mac from Intel chips to Apple’s self-developed chips. According to informed sources, Ternus also participated in Apple’s exploration of foldable phones and has spent extended periods in Asia engaging with manufacturers to gain deep insight into supply chain operations. 🤖 However, Ternus’s potential succession has also sparked some discussion. He would become the first Apple CEO in thirty years to have a complete hardware background. Still, some question whether Ternus, known more for “maintaining products” than “creating products,” can truly lead innovation. In addition, as someone who has always worked as an engineer, he lacks experience in handling policy affairs and responsibilities required of a CEO. Nonetheless, sources also say that Cook is grooming several other internal executives as alternatives, including: ·Software chief Craig Federighi ·Services business head Eddy Cue ·Global marketing head Greg Joswiak ·Retail and HR chief Deirdre O'Brien The final CEO successor will be decided by Apple’s board of directors, of which Cook himself is a member. After stepping down as CEO, Cook will almost certainly serve as chairman of the board. More importantly, while other tech giants have invested tens of billions of dollars in AI, Apple remains largely on the sidelines, having yet to apply AI technology on a large scale to its products. Whether the new CEO can lead Apple to a breakthrough in the AI era will be a crucial test.