Khaberni - In recent months, there has been talk about Tim Cook stepping down as the CEO of "Apple" in the coming years, especially since he is over 65 years old without a clear successor, according to a report published by Bloomberg.
The CEO of the company is the helm leader and ultimately responsible for its new innovations, although he may not work on them by hand, so in a company the size of "Apple," this position is pivotal and extremely influential in shaping technology.
It is noted that the company's founder and former CEO, Steve Jobs, left his position in 2011 after reaching the age of 56, and Tim Cook has held this position from that time until today.
The difference between the late Steve Jobs' administration and Tim Cook's is clearly visible in the products the company offers, as it is possible to recognize the products introduced during each of their eras by just looking at them, which highlights the importance of the CEO's position for the company.
It can be said that the next CEO of "Apple" will determine its future course and the direction it aims to achieve. While Jobs focused on controlling all aspects of phone and system development, Cook’s administration was characterized by opening up the system and allowing things that Jobs had previously refused.
So, who will succeed Tim Cook on the Apple throne? And where is the company heading under his reign?
The Sudden Exit of the Strongest Candidate
"Apple" has undergone a series of major changes at the level of department heads and managers in recent years, perhaps most notably the readiness of the Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams to leave the company this year, as he was the closest candidate to be Cook’s successor.
The company also lost a number of prominent names that contributed to its glory today, including the head of the design department, Jony Ive, and the head of the retail sector, Angela Ahrendts, both of whom left together in 2019, as well as Johny Srouji, the veteran leader of Apple's hardware technologies group and the developer of the company’s revolutionary chips.
Srouji has hinted to a group of his acquaintances his intention to leave the company and thinking about his future for several months, but has not yet made a final decision to leave the company.
And Apple's artificial intelligence department has not been exempt from these changes, as the situation of John Giannandrea, the head of the department, remains unknown so far, especially after Mike Rockwell took responsibility for specifically fixing "Siri".
The "Bloomberg" report indicates that the company is considering an AI department head from outside the company, specifically thinking of attracting one of the AI scientists from "Meta" after the latter made significant changes to its artificial intelligence sector.
With Williams' absence who was considered the strongest candidate, John Ternus, the head of the hardware engineering department is emerging as a strong candidate to fill the CEO position for "Apple" which is valued at over 4 trillion dollars.
A Technology Enthusiast and Not a Salesman
The "Bloomberg" report describes John Ternus as primarily a technology enthusiast, not a sales or marketing man, and according to the report, the company needs this more than anything else.
Although "Apple" has grown significantly under Cook's leadership in terms of sales and the number of devices sold, it has faced significant difficulties in breaking into new technological sectors, such as augmented reality technologies, artificial intelligence, and even smart cars and smart home devices, all of which are sectors where other companies have achieved notable success.
The report adds that Ternus is 50 years old, the same age at which Cook took over the leadership of "Apple," giving him a similar time opportunity that Cook enjoyed to create a change in the company's policy and introduce a technological revolution that would put it back on the map of innovation.
Moreover, Apple enthusiasts and its employees look at Ternus with admiration, as he is one of the few whom Cook and the company's employees alike trust, which has granted him additional powers that exceed his primary role.
It is noted that the company's marketing team tries to highlight Ternus and position him in front of users in new innovations, as he was responsible for presenting the "iPhone Air" at the recent event, and was responsible for receiving the first customers at the company's store on Regent Street in London, a task that Cook previously did at the Fifth Avenue store in New York.
With Ternus taking over the leadership of the company, the future and future directions of the devices it provides is reflected. It is expected that we will see a wave of revolutionary new innovations in "Apple", instead of adhering to the same composition for all products as is currently the case in the company.
Some experts believe that the period of Ternus’s rule could restore the company's charm and leadership in technological innovation as it was previously under Steve Jobs’ leadership, because both think of technology first and then promoting it.
Other Prominent Candidates
The emergence of Ternus’s name as the strongest candidate to lead "Apple" does not mean he is the only one. Several other names have been proposed to lead the company, all of whom are current executives within it.
Craig Federighi, the Vice President of Software at the company, emerges as one of the strongest candidates for this position, thanks to his extensive experience and constant presence at all company events. He is 56 years old.
Greg Joswiak, the Vice President of Global Marketing for the company, aged 61, is also mentioned as one of the candidates for this position, although the biggest obstacle for him is age as he is not much younger than Tim Cook, making his presidency period unprecedentedly short.
How does the CEO of "Apple" affect the directions of tech companies?
For years, tech companies have been following the path laid out by "Apple" in many aspects, from removing the headphone jack to removing the charger socket, and introducing a notch and face ID, among other new innovations.
Therefore, whoever heads "Apple" and determines its future path also sets the path that the majority of tech companies follow in an attempt to emulate "Apple" and incorporate its innovations into less expensive products.
This path varies depending on the person who takes the helm; if someone like Ternus takes over, we might see new technological innovations from the company as happened under Steve Jobs.
If it is headed by someone interested in software and comes from an extensive programming background like Federighi, we might see a focus on the programming services offered by the company, including operating systems and its proprietary artificial intelligence systems, and the same would be true with Joswiak, who might focus more on marketing the company and offering marketing features instead of innovation.
