Incoming Apple CEO John Ternus tells Gen Z an early mistake taught him an important lesson: ‘The care you put into your work really matters’

College graduates are stepping out of college and into corporate offices, uncertain of how to excel in an AI-enabled world of work. However, in the pursuit of success, incoming Apple CEO John Ternus advises young professionals that putting in 100% effort matters most. “The care that you put into your work really matters,” Ternus told the University of Pennsylvania’s engineering graduates in 2024. The longtime company insider, set to take Apple’s top role on September 1, first learned this lesson when he started working at the tech giant in 2001. After joining the product design team, his first project was to create a large plastic desktop monitor called Cinema Display. After months of toiling over the build, the supplier facility produced a version of the product, but on the back of the display, 35 grooves were installed instead of 25. Ternus knew the mistake would be out of sight to most observers, but he couldn’t bear the thought of letting his design go to market with an issue. “I distinctly remember stepping back for a minute and thinking to myself, ‘What the hell am I doing? Is this normal?’” Ternus recalled. “I realized it might not be normal, but it’s right, because I’d already spent months working on that product. And if you’re going to spend that much time on something, you should put in your very best effort.” Ternus said that whether a customer notices the extra grooves or not, he would always know. And since he and his team had meticulously planned every detail—from the display screen to the concentric steel grooves that shimmered like a CD—they wanted their very best work reflected in the final product. That dedication may come across as intense, but it’s always worth it to go the extra mile rather than do the satisfactory minimum. “Make no mistake—it’s hard to put that much of yourself into something,” Ternus advised. “It’s stressful, it requires sacrifice, but it’s worth it because our time is finite.” The inc