John Ternus, who just stepped into the role of Apple's Chief Executive Officer, marked his very first day on the job by creating a Weibo account and posting his inaugural social media message. The post featured a bilingual greeting, combining the English "hello" with its Chinese equivalent "你好". Within just 18 hours of the account going live and the first post being shared, the new CEO had already attracted significant attention, amassing 66,000 followers and generating over 3.2 million reposts, more than 7,000 comments, and upwards of 25,000 likes. A large number of users in China took to the platform to express their welcome to the leader.

The previous day, Apple's official website announced a major executive reshuffle, confirming John Ternus as the new CEO and his appointment to the company's board of directors. Tim Cook stepped down from the top position to assume the role of Executive Chairman, completing the leadership transition. According to Apple's official profile, John Ternus is a veteran of the company with over two decades of experience, having first joined the product design team in 2001. He was promoted to Vice President of Hardware Engineering in 2013, and in 2021, he ascended to the core executive circle as Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering. During his tenure, he has been deeply involved in the hardware development of numerous flagship products, overseeing the launch of the iPad and AirPods lines while also managing the iterative design of several generations of iPhone, Mac, and Apple Watch. He is considered a central figure in Apple's hardware architecture. Beyond consumer product cycles, Ternus has also long championed technical projects related to reliability and durability, enhancing the resilience of Apple's devices.

This foray onto Weibo marks Ternus's first public social media engagement targeted at the Chinese market. His predecessor, Tim Cook, had also maintained a personal and active Weibo presence for years. Industry observers view the new CEO's decision to join the platform on his first day as a clear signal of the high importance he places on the Chinese market and an eagerness to open a direct channel of communication with its users. The Greater China region has consistently been a cornerstone of Apple's global revenue. In the company's fiscal Q3 2026 earnings report, Apple posted total revenue of $109.417 billion, a 16% increase year-over-year, with net profit of $29.789 billion, up 27%. Looking at regional performance, revenue from Greater China grew to $18.816 billion from $15.369 billion in the same period last year, while the Americas and Europe contributed $45.781 billion and $29.395 billion, respectively. This positions China as Apple's third-largest market globally.

On one hand, China serves as both a vital revenue source for Apple, with an enormous base of existing device users, and a crucial part of its supply chain. On the other, intensifying competition in the high-end smartphone segment means that the region's performance fluctuations can directly influence how the broader capital markets view Apple. By launching his Weibo presence, Ternus is sending a strong message of his intent to engage with Chinese customers and safeguard this critical market. On his first day in the new role, the new CEO also sent an initial internal memo to all employees, in which he described it as his "first day" in the CEO capacity and thanked staff for their "warm wishes". In the brief four-paragraph note, he acknowledged that Cook has shared extensive knowledge and experience during the transition and praised his many years of contribution to the company. Calling Apple "the greatest company in the world," Ternus also expressed his excitement about the future product pipeline. He made a specific point of noting, "We have a huge launch next week that will be absolutely phenomenal."

Apple is slated to hold a product event on September 9th, with expectations pointing toward the debut of its first foldable device, the iPhone Ultra, and the iPhone 18 Pro series. It is anticipated that this event could serve as Ternus's first major public appearance in his capacity as CEO. Reportedly, the company hosted a farewell party for Tim Cook on August 23rd, which was attended by roughly 200 employees and guests. Cook joined Apple in 1998 and took over as CEO in 2011.