Apple CEO John Ternus has spoken about his close involvement with the company’s design teams, saying design remains at the center of how Apple builds its products.
In a recent interview with TIME, highlighted by 9to5Mac, Ternus was asked how involved he remains with design now that he is running Apple.
Ternus, who has a background in mechanical engineering and joined Apple’s Product Design team in 2001, said he has worked closely with the company’s industrial designers throughout his career.
“Design means everything to us,” Ternus said, explaining that Apple’s hardware and software designers work closely with engineers from the earliest stages of product development rather than handing finished concepts over for engineering later.
The comments come after The Apple Post reported that Ternus has been taking a much more hands-on role with Apple’s design organization since becoming CEO, spending significant time with both the industrial design and human interface teams.
Ternus did not directly confirm that his involvement has increased since taking the top job, instead stressing that close collaboration with designers has been part of his work at Apple for decades.
His comments nevertheless offer a clearer picture of the approach he appears to be bringing to Apple’s leadership. Ternus is also reportedly looking to reduce management layers and bring engineers closer to senior decision-makers, reinforcing the emphasis on tighter collaboration between design, engineering and leadership.
The renewed focus on design comes at a significant moment for Apple, with the company expanding into new product categories while preparing major redesigns across existing devices.
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