Big shoes to fill: will the haters spare John Ternus?

An Office Hours question by J.P. answered on May 3, 2026.

Q: With the ascension of John Ternus becoming the new CEO -- will it lower the criticism from the perennial Apple haters and critics?

No, no, of course not. Of course not, come on. You should know better than this. If anything, it'll amplify.

I wrote a piece about this. Titled, "John Ternus will have left big shoes to fill." This is his epitaph. This would be when, in 2040, he'll retire, and this is the article that will get written then. And the criticisms he will have faced will be the same.

We mustn't forget that when Steve was around and was the CEO, the amount of abuse he got was worse, in my opinion, than what Tim got. The criticisms of his incompetence, of his lack of ethics, morals, and overall bad decision-making were legend. I think he was accused of criminal behavior, even.

So we tend to forgive and give peace to the deceased. But while they're alive they will be skewered. I think John will be as criticized as any [Apple] CEO. And you can use your imagination for the reasons and all the failures and all the bad, all the things he'll miss, all the things he'll do wrong, all the incompetence. That he doesn't know how to run anything. It's time for a change. Inevitable.

—
Editor's Note: This is a lightly-edited question by an Asymco One participant answered during our May 2026 Office Hours live Q&A sessions.