The new guy who’s soon to be in charge at Apple has big shoes to fill, and he can’t follow in his predecessors’ footsteps.
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Longtime Apple investor and NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Fran Tarkenton told Business Insider that Apple’s incoming CEO should follow the advice Steve Jobs once gave his successor, Tim Cook.
Jobs encouraged Cook, who was better known for his operational prowess than as a product visionary, to do things his own way when he became CEO in 2011.
“He said to Tim Cook, When you’ve got to make a decision, don’t say to yourself, what would Steve Jobs do? You do what you think is the best thing for the company,” Tarkenton said.
Cook previously spoke about Jobs’ words at a 2011 memorial tribute, Bloomberg reported.
John Ternus, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware engineering, is set to succeed Tim Cook as CEO in September. His hardware background marks a return to the product-focused leadership of Jobs’ era, rather than Cook’s focus on services and chips made by Apple.
Ternus is “the right guy at the right time,” Tarkenton said. The eyes of the tech industry are on Apple to deliver its next big innovation or make a meaningful move in the AI arms race.
Tarkenton said Cook has been “terrific” for Apple and has grown its services business into a behemoth that outpaces some of its products in revenue. But, he said, Ternus has to rely on his 25 years of experience at Apple to be successful.
“He cannot be Tim Cook,” Tarkenton said.
Tarkenton, a Minnesota Vikings legend who earned most of his wealth after leaving the league, said he began investing in Apple around 2015 after researching the company. He’s owned hundreds of thousands of shares, according to records previously viewed by Business Insider. And he’s as bullish on the stock as ever.
“I’ve never sold any of the stock, and I reinvest the dividends every quarter,” he said.
Ternus has worked at Apple since 2001. Tarkenton said his insiders at Apple started whispering Ternus’s name as a potential successor five years ago. As recently as last month, Cook brushed off rumors that he would be stepping back from his duties anytime soon, telling “Good Morning America” that he couldn’t imagine his life without Apple. Cook is staying on as executive chairman after passing on the CEO mantle.
Tarkenton said he trusted Apple’s leadership to choose the right person.
“The teams that win have the best coaches, and the best coaches make sure they get the best players,” Tarkenton said. “Apple does that naturally.”
