It’s official. Apple’s added Steve Lemay and Molly Anderson to their executive leadership page. After much drama following Alan Dye’s departure, the company has decided to not only elevate the two designers but give them the kind of platform that they deserve. They’re now listed right alongside folks like Tim Cook and John Ternus.
I think it’s no secret that many of us have come to agree that Apple’s been a bit lost the past few years. Between Vision Pro, Apple Intelligence, tone deaf advertisements, and debates over software quality, there’s been a sense that a change needs to happen. I care about Apple holistically, as a living breathing entity not just their products. So who is running the joint matters to me. It doesn’t feel like a coincidence that the same week we get a radically different kind of Mac, we also see the executive leadership page get a revamp.
Molly Anderson’s already proven herself to be an incredibly talented industrial designer. She’s been at Apple for over a decade, but she recently became the face of ID doing voiceover for the iPhone 17 Pro reveal. If the latest iPhones and the MacBook Neo are the first real fruits of her leadership, that bodes incredibly well for the future. And mind you, she’s also in charge of accessories and packaging. I think she might just turn out to be exactly the kind of person that Apple hardware needs to inject a breath of fresh air.
The same goes for Steve Lemay, who I know so many people are excited to see takeover human interface. Liquid Glass has been so poorly received that knowing a true Apple veteran with deep knowledge of HI is now in charge has been the best kind of whiplash. Lemay has been at Apple for 27 years and has a track record that implies the future of Apple software under his leadership is extraordinarily bright. There’s no question that Apple products are the work of many teams, not just the designers. Johnny Srouji, Craig Federighi, Joz, all of their teams are just as vital to developing these devices. But John Ternus who is clearly being positioned as Tim Cook’s successor having two new designers means that the three of them can redefine Apple’s identity after 15 years under an operations guy.
The MacBook Neo which was announced this week feels like the first fruits of this new collaboration. It has been almost universally well received across the industry. The average user is just as excited as the super nerd. That’s a rare occurrence. So is a $599 Mac notebook. But the product isn’t just new, the marketing is radically different. Apple’s advertising materials for the Neo are a radical departure from their typical work. It’s drawing exactly the kind of attention that they need to. It’s fun, it’s different, and it’s most importantly current. Not just following trends, but taking what makes Apple, Apple and meshing it together with what’s expected of brands in 2026. Even the way they launched the product is new for them. They held simultaneous events around the world with different executives giving on stage mini keynotes. John Ternus unveiled MacBook Neo in New York, Bob Borchers (who you may remember as the face of the original iPhone guided tours) in Shanghai, and Tim Millet in London. They had elaborate set ups for people to create content with the devices, they had beautiful sculptures, and they had hands on areas that while new looked very familiar.
The MacBook Neo is a new kind of product for Apple, unveiled in a new way, with new materials, by an array of fresher faces. These new products being unveiled at the same time the faces of the company are beginning to change feels like a turning point. You could argue Neo is one of, if not the first product of this new Apple. I am far more excited about the future of the company now than I was a year ago. Sure, Apple Intelligence is still a mess. But this week Apple showed what they do best. That they still have a place in this ecosystem. And that they can still surprise and delight even within existing categories.