John Ternus talks about his involvement with Apple's design teams

Last week TIME shared some quotes from a new interview with Apple CEO John Ternus, but today the full video was released, including a discussion of Ternus’ involvement in Apple’s design teams.

John Ternus says that at Apple, “design means everything to us”

Since John Ternus officially became CEO last month, reports have indicated that he has been spending a lot of time interacting with Apple’s design teams.

In a recent interview with TIMETernus discusses his new role, the transition and his current priorities. And design enters the conversation.

At one point he was asked directly: “How involved are you still in design?” »

This is what Ternus said:

It’s funny because as a product designer (I’m a mechanical engineer by training), the team that product designers work most closely with are industrial designers. So I’ve been working hand in hand with industrial designers at Apple since I started. And it’s an incredible relationship.
I think what’s so special about this place is that design is at the center of it. Design means everything to us. And what’s amazing is that our designers, both on the software and hardware side, really understand engineering. And engineers have a very deep appreciation for design. So it’s a really powerful collaboration. It’s not (like) a designer who draws something and then throws it over the wall and says, “Go do this.” From the beginning, the teams collaborate and it’s just a wonderful thing to be a part of.

Without explicitly saying that he has been particularly involved with the design teams, Ternus emphasizes that he has always worked closely with Apple’s designers and reiterates how design is at the heart of the company.

You can watch the full video below.

What do you think of Ternus’ comments on design at Apple? Let us know in the comments.