Life lessons from incoming Apple CEO John Ternus that are a masterclass for Gen Z

John Ternus told students that giving 100% effort in work is the most important thing, especially in today’s AI-driven world. He said “the care you put into your work really matters” while speaking to engineering graduates at the University of Pennsylvania in 2024. Ternus shared a real story from his early days at Apple Inc. to explain this lesson. He joined Apple in 2001 at the age of 26 as part of the product design team. His first big project was designing a desktop monitor called Cinema Display.

After months of work, the factory made a mistake — they added 35 grooves instead of 25 on the back. This mistake was small and most customers would never notice it. But Ternus still felt uncomfortable sending a flawed product to market. He even questioned himself, thinking “Is this normal?” when he worried about such a small detail, as stated by Fortune.

Then he realised it may not be normal, but it is the right thing to care deeply about your work. He believed that if you spend months on something, you must give your absolute best effort. He also said even if customers don’t notice mistakes, you will always know your own work quality. His team had carefully designed every detail, so they wanted perfection in the final product. His message: always go the extra mile instead of doing just the minimum work. Ternus warned that putting full effort is not easy — it is stressful and requires sacrifice. But he added that it is worth it because time is limited in life.

Lesson on confidence and humility

Ternus said young people will face uncertainty many times in their careers. He shared a simple mindset to deal with it. His advice: believe you are as smart as others, but don’t assume you know everything. This helps build confidence to move forward and humility to keep learning. When he joined Apple, he felt both excited and scared because people around him were very talented, as cited by Fortune.

Instead of feeling insecure, he learned from his colleagues and asked questions. He said he is grateful that he was not afraid to ask for help. Being around passionate people pushes you to improve and grow faster.

Lesson on choosing meaningful work

Ternus told Gen Z to build skills in areas that truly matter to them. He said people should work on things that interest and excite them. He also stressed that work should match your personal values. Examples he gave included product building, healthcare innovation, and AI development, as stated by Fortune. His key message: this is your time, so focus on meaningful work. He repeated the famous idea of Steve Jobs — “make a dent in the universe”.

His 25-year journey at Apple

Ternus has spent almost his entire career at Apple. Before Apple, he briefly worked at Virtual Research Systems as an engineer. He joined Apple in 2001 during a time of fast innovation. In 2013, he became Vice President of Hardware Engineering. Later, he was promoted to senior roles and joined Apple’s executive team in 2021. Over 25 years, he has led engineering for major products like AirPods, iPads, and iPhones.

Leadership recognition and future role

Tim Cook praised Ternus for having engineering skills, innovation mindset, and strong values. Ternus is set to become Apple’s CEO on September 1. He said he feels lucky to have worked with Steve Jobs and learned from Tim Cook, as cited by Fortune. He expressed gratitude for the opportunity to lead Apple forward. He also said he feels humbled to take this role. He promised to lead with values, vision, integrity, and honour.

FAQs

Q1. What advice did John Ternus give to Gen Z workers?

He said always give your best effort, keep learning, stay humble, and work on things that truly matter to you.

Q2. Why is John Ternus becoming CEO of Apple Inc. important?

It shows his long experience, strong leadership, and deep role in building Apple’s top products over many years.