New Apple CEO’s LinkedIn leaves everyone saying the same thing

New-appointed Apple CEO John Ternus’s LinkedIn profile has been garnering attention online, but not necessarily for the reasons you might think.

Ternus is Apple’s current senior vice president of hardware engineering and has been holding the position since 2021when he joined the executive team. He joined Apple’s product design team in 2001 and since 2013 he became the vice president of hardware engineering. Throughout his career at Apple, he has helped lead hardware engineering for the teams behind the iPhone, Mac, Apple Watch, iPad, AirPods and many more. Lastly, he helped Apple focus on areas like reliability and durability, introducing new techniques that have helped products be more resilient and durable. Before Apple, Ternus was working as a mechanical engineer at Virtual Research Systems and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

He will take over from Tim Cook on September 1, ending Cook’s 15-year stint in the job he inherited from late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs. Cook, 65, meanwhile, will move into the role of executive chairman of Apple’s board of directors.

In the wake of the announcement, much of the attention online has been focused on Ternus, with social media users eager to find out more about the new Apple CEO. As a result, his LinkedIn profile has come in for scrutiny, however it’s good news for Ternus.

Why It Matters

LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform and was created to aid career development, job searching, and professional networking. However, in recent years, it’s also become a platform for a type of content that could be referred to as “LinkedIn Cringe.”

The term refers to the awkward, overly performative, and insincere content often found on the platform. It can be characterized by humblebrags, faux-vulnerability, and corporate buzzwords and often involves repackaging mundane or personal stories into “inspirational” career lessons.

So when the Reddit user u/holyfruits shared a screenshot of Ternus’s LinkedIn profile to the social media platform alongside the caption, “Here’s what future Apple CEO John Ternus’s LinkedIn looks like,” what people saw was a breath of fresh air.

What To Know

Rather than featuring any “try-hand” thought leadership or inappropriate personal anecdotes, Ternus’s LinkedIn is decidedly bare. Despite rising to the top of one of the world’s biggest tech companies and garnering over 18,000 followers along the way, the only message of note on Ternus’s profile reads: “John has no recent posts.”

That’s something that’s been applauded by those taking a closer look at his profile on Reddit. “Good, normalize having zero LinkedIn presence,” one user said. Another Redditor wrote: “It’s gotten me a job a couple times before, so I will never NOT keep a Linkedin Presence. But I also refuse to participate in the social media grandstanding and circle jerk posting that seems to have become a fetishized lust for a certain subset of people on it.”

A third said Ternus’s profile was “a good sign of a healthy human being,” while a fourth commented: “Seriously, how refreshing that he’s not going to inundate us with posts about s***** trust fall exercises or declaring himself the real victim because he cried after laying people off. Or dumb hustle culture bull****.”

Elsewhere, one user noted: “Y’all are missing the main point that he’s had the same job for 24 years. When you’re that comfortable you can forget entirely about LinkedIn,” while another said “It’s a good sign of a ‘healthy’ board of directors, they’re installing a person who is unlikely to chase short term stock gains over long term growth.”

One user, meanwhile, claimed: “Every serious exec I know has this kind of LinkedIn. Every hollow executive I know has an active LinkedIn, is involved with alumni associations and attends or looks for every opportunity to have face time with external stakeholders.” Another suggested: “Most high-level execs of BIG companies (not just in the U.S.) keep their LinkedIn profiles brief, I’ve found. This is likely because they’re not in the market for new jobs. Same as school teachers.”

Newsweek has contacted Apple for comment.