Apple CEO John Ternus says 'I do love product' in WIRED interview, 9to5Mac reports

John Ternus, Apple's new chief executive, has used his first wide-ranging interview in the role to say that product remains the centre of his focus, according to a report from 9to5Mac that summarizes a WIRED conversation with journalist Steven Levy.

Passion for product

The interview took place shortly after Apple unveiled the MacBook Pro with its PROLED XDR display. Asked about stepping into a much larger portfolio of responsibilities, Ternus reportedly answered: "I do love product. I'm super passionate about it." 9to5Mac's headline boils his message down to a single word: product.

AI and the creative process

Ternus also addressed artificial intelligence. He is quoted as saying that Apple is "absolutely going to leverage AI" in its work. When the discussion turned to AI agents that could automate large parts of knowledge work, he reportedly argued that the creation of products is "a deeply human and personal thing, something that we love to do", suggesting Apple sees a limit to how much of the design and engineering process it wants to hand over to software.

On the subject of AI regulation, the report says he kept the answer narrow, saying Apple's focus is "on making sure that our products are secure and safe."

Colleagues weigh in

The WIRED piece, as relayed by 9to5Mac, also includes comments from other senior Apple executives. Johny Srouji, who leads hardware technologies, is quoted as saying, "John is going to be a great CEO. He's a product guy at heart." Greg Joswiak, Apple's marketing chief, reportedly said that Ternus "innately has a great sense for great products, and that's what Apple is."

Timing

The comments arrive at a busy moment for the company. Apple has just introduced its first touchscreen Mac, refreshed the iPad mini and iMac, and begun selling new products across several categories. Apple is also scheduled to report its fiscal fourth-quarter 2026 results on November 2, an event for which Ternus is expected to be on the call.

Cupertino News has not independently reviewed the full WIRED interview; the quotes above are as reported by 9to5Mac. Readers can consult the original WIRED article for the complete context of Ternus's remarks.