Bloomberg: Apple CEO Ternus Deepens Design Role, No CDO Search
Bloomberg reports John Ternus is in Apple's design studio several times a week and that Molly Anderson and Steve Lemay will lead industrial and human interface design.
Apple CEO John Ternus is taking a more hands-on role in the company's design teams, working directly with its industrial design and human interface groups several times a week and sometimes multiple times a day, according to a Bloomberg report by Mark Gurman.
The same report says Apple plans to designate Molly Anderson and Steve Lemay as design leads, for industrial design and human interface respectively, with Ternus acting as the overarching decision maker for design. No search is underway for a Chief Design Officer to replace Jony Ive, Bloomberg said.
Apple has refilled its design teams by promoting many junior designers and hiring new talent, according to the report. The company has not issued a public statement on the design leadership structure.
An unsettled design role since 2019
Apple has not had a true design lead since Jony Ive left the company in 2019. Former COO Jeff Williams oversaw design until his own departure last year; in October 2025, when Williams left the COO post, Apple said the design teams would report to then-CEO Tim Cook, though they in fact reported to Ternus. Ternus became CEO roughly in September 2026, about a month ago.
Gurman's reporting also notes that Tim Cook visited the design studio about once a month as CEO, and that design leader Alan Dye left Apple for Meta while OpenAI has poached many Apple employees.
Quick answers
Who will lead Apple's design teams?
According to Bloomberg, Apple plans to designate Molly Anderson for industrial design and Steve Lemay for human interface, with CEO John Ternus as the overarching decision maker on design.
Is Apple looking for a new Chief Design Officer?
No. Bloomberg reports that no search is underway for a Chief Design Officer to replace Jony Ive.
How often does John Ternus work with Apple's designers?
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports Ternus works hands-on with the industrial design and human interface teams several times a week, sometimes multiple times a day.