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John Ternus talks his involvement with design teams at Apple
Last week TIME shared select quotes from a new interview with Apple CEO John Ternus, but today the full video has been published, including a discussion on Ternus’s involvement with Apple’s design teams.
Ever since John Ternus officially became CEO last month, reporting has indicated that he’s spending lots of his time hands-on with Apple’s design teams.
In a recent interview with TIME, Ternus discusses his new role, the transition, and his current priorities. And design comes up in the conversation.
At one point he’s asked directly: “How involved with design are you still?”
It’s funny because as a product designer—I’m a mechanical engineer by background—the team that the product designers work most closely with are the industrial designers. So, I’ve been working hand in hand with industrial designers at Apple since I started. And it’s an amazing relationship.
I think what’s so special about this place is design is at the center of it. Design means everything to us. And what’s incredible is our designers, both on the software side and the hardware side, they really understand the engineering. And the engineers have a very deep appreciation for design. And so it’s a really powerful collaboration. It’s not [like] a designer sketches something up and then throws it over the wall and says, “Go make that.” From the very beginning the teams are collaborating, and it’s just a wonderful thing to be a part of.
Without explicitly saying that he’s been especially hands-on with the design teams, Ternus emphasizes that he’s always worked closely with Apple designers, and reiterates how central design is to the company.
What do you make of Ternus’s comments on design at Apple? Let us know in the comments.
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