Today, longtime insider John Ternus took the reins as CEO of the $4.6 trillion tech giant Apple, succeeding Tim Cook after his 15-year run at the helm. It took Ternus more than two decades to reach the top of Apple’s corporate ladder—and along the way, he learned that even the most accomplished workers will question whether they’re up to the task. The CEO fought uncertainty and impostor syndrome by following one key mindset.
“Always assume you’re as smart as anyone else in the room, but never assume that you know as much as they do,” Ternus told University of Pennsylvania’s engineering graduates in 2024. “With this mindset, you’ll find the confidence you need to push forward, but more importantly, the humility to ask questions and learn.”
It was a lesson he first learned 25 years ago, when he first began his ascent to the helm of Apple’s executive team. Ternus was just 26 years old when he joined Apple as an engineer in 2001—it was his second job out of college, right as technology was innovating at breakneck speed. It was “intimidating and exhilarating,” the new CEO admitted. He even questioned if he could keep up.
“I wasn’t sure I belonged there,” Ternus continued. “The people I met were so smart and so confident, and they knew so much more than me.”
