Apple CEO recalls 25-year-old Apple lesson: ‘I wasn’t sure I belonged there’

John Ternus officially stepped into his new role as the CEO of Apple, succeeding Tim Cook after a 15-year tenure. In a recent interview with Fortune, Ternus recalled a pivotal lesson he learned 25 years ago when he first joined Apple’s executive team, the one that helped him overcome self-doubt and impostor syndrome, and ultimately guided his rise to the top of the $4.6 trillion tech giant. Ternus joined Apple in 2001 at just 26 years old, working on product design during a period of rapid technological innovation. He admitted feeling intimidated by the caliber of people around him, questioning whether he belonged.The lesson John Ternus learned at AppleSpeaking to University of Pennsylvania's engineering graduates in 2024, Ternus explained the approach that helped him to move ahead and push against self-doubt.