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BusinessQuiet 8d · day 9

Apple CEO John Ternus's First Earnings Call Draws 'Scripted' Criticism

Bloomberg calls new Apple chief's debut analyst call "timid"; John Gruber says Apple calls have always been scripted.

newest coverage 8d agosummary written 8d ago5 pieces NewswiresGoogle News

What to know

  • Apple posted record quarterly results but shares slumped in pre-market trading on caution over rising memory costs and Siri AI data center spending.
  • It was new CEO John Ternus's first earnings call; he delegated some answers to CFO Kevan Parekh and COO Sabih Khan, who Apple said will now join calls regularly.
  • Bloomberg called the call "timid" and overly scripted; commentators including John Gruber disputed that framing, noting Apple's calls have long followed a scripted format.

“Newly minted CEO plays it safe during his first high-stakes earnings call? Absolutely shocking! Seriously, what did Bloomberg expect?”

Ben Lovejoy, Writer, 9to5Mac · 9to5Mac ↗ · Nov 2

John TernusJohn Ternus Apple CEODave Lee Bloomberg opinion columnistJohn Gruber Writer, Daring FireballBen LovejoyBen Lovejoy Writer, 9to5MacKevan Parekh Apple CFOSabih Khan Apple COO

Apple CEO John Ternus's First Earnings Call Draws 'Scripted' Criticism
Daring Fireball

How it unfolded 3 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articles

Peak 4 pieces in two hours at Nov 3, 6 AM; 5 pieces over 9 days (5 articles) Nov 3, 6 AM — 4 pieces · 4 articles — Newswires 3, Google News 1Nov 3, 8 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Nov 3, 10 AM — quietNov 3, 12 PM — quietNov 3, 2 PM — quietNov 3, 4 PM — quietNov 3, 6 PM — quietNov 3, 8 PM — quietNov 3, 10 PM — quietNov 4, 12 AM — quietNov 4, 2 AM — quietNov 4, 4 AM — quietNov 4, 6 AM — quietNov 4, 8 AM — quietNov 4, 10 AM — quietNov 4, 12 PM — quietNov 4, 2 PM — quietNov 4, 4 PM — quietNov 4, 6 PM — quietNov 4, 8 PM — quietNov 4, 10 PM — quietNov 5, 12 AM — quietNov 5, 2 AM — quietNov 5, 4 AM — quietNov 5, 6 AM — quietNov 5, 8 AM — quietNov 5, 10 AM — quietNov 5, 12 PM — quietNov 5, 2 PM — quietNov 5, 4 PM — quietNov 5, 6 PM — quietNov 5, 8 PM — quietNov 5, 10 PM — quietNov 6, 12 AM — quietNov 6, 2 AM — quietNov 6, 4 AM — quietNov 6, 6 AM — quietNov 6, 8 AM — quietNov 6, 10 AM — quietNov 6, 12 PM — quietNov 6, 2 PM — quietNov 6, 4 PM — quietNov 6, 6 PM — quietNov 6, 8 PM — quietNov 6, 10 PM — quietNov 7, 12 AM — quietNov 7, 2 AM — quietNov 7, 4 AM — quietNov 7, 6 AM — quietNov 7, 8 AM — quietNov 7, 10 AM — quietNov 7, 12 PM — quietNov 7, 2 PM — quietNov 7, 4 PM — quietNov 7, 6 PM — quietNov 7, 8 PM — quietNov 7, 10 PM — quietNov 8, 12 AM — quietNov 8, 2 AM — quietNov 8, 4 AM — quietNov 8, 6 AM — quietNov 8, 8 AM — quietNov 8, 10 AM — quietNov 8, 12 PM — quietNov 8, 2 PM — quietNov 8, 4 PM — quietNov 8, 6 PM — quietNov 8, 8 PM — quietNov 8, 10 PM — quietNov 9, 12 AM — quietNov 9, 2 AM — quietNov 9, 4 AM — quietNov 9, 6 AM — quietNov 9, 8 AM — quietNov 9, 10 AM — quietNov 9, 12 PM — quietNov 9, 2 PM — quietNov 9, 4 PM — quietNov 9, 6 PM — quietNov 9, 8 PM — quietNov 9, 10 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 2 AM — quietYesterday, 4 AM — quietYesterday, 6 AM — quietYesterday, 8 AM — quietYesterday, 10 AM — quietYesterday, 12 PM — quietYesterday, 2 PM — quietYesterday, 4 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 8 PM — quietYesterday, 10 PM — quietToday, 12 AM — quietToday, 2 AM — quietToday, 4 AM — quietToday, 6 AM — quietToday, 8 AM — quietToday, 10 AM — quietToday, 12 PM — quietToday, 2 PM — quietToday, 4 PM — quietToday, 6 PM — quiet 1–3
Nov 4Nov 5Nov 6Nov 7Nov 8Nov 9yesterdaynow · 7:25 PM ET
  1. 3

    Gruber says Apple's analyst calls have always been scripted

    John Gruber at Daring Fireball pushed back on the Bloomberg critique, arguing Apple's earnings calls have been scripted affairs for decades and that expecting a loose, freewheeling style was unrealistic.

    “This is stupid.”
    — John Gruber

    1. 1 outlet first by Daring Fireball, 8d ago · read ↗

    2. 1 outlet Apple CEO John Ternus criticized for delivering scripted first earnings call

      first by MacDailyNews, 8d ago

  2. 2

    9to5Mac's Lovejoy calls the criticism 'rather odd'

    Ben Lovejoy argued Ternus took a measured, optimistic approach appropriate for a first call and found the Bloomberg criticism misplaced given predecessor Tim Cook's own reticent style.

    “the criticism strikes me as rather odd…”
    — Ben Lovejoy
    1. 1 outlet Apple CEO John Ternus criticized for ‘scripted’ approach to first earnings call

      first by 9to5Mac, 8d ago

  3. 1

    Bloomberg's Dave Lee calls Ternus's debut call 'timid' and scripted

    Bloomberg opinion columnist Dave Lee wrote that Ternus hid behind a carefully written script and missed a chance to lay out his vision for Apple, calling the performance a disappointment for investors and analysts.

    “The 51-year-old’s first earnings call was a timid affair, with Ternus taking cover behind a carefully written script as analysts peppered him with questions.”
    — Dave Lee
  4. background

    Apple shares slump in pre-market trading on margin caution — Investors reacted negatively to the company's cautious outlook on expenses despite the record quarter, driving a pre-market stock slide.

  5. background

    Apple reports record earnings on John Ternus's first call as CEO — Apple posted record results but cautioned that rising memory costs and spending on Siri AI data centers would pressure margins in the current quarter. Ternus delegated several answers to CFO Kevan Parekh and COO Sabih Khan, who Apple said would now participate regularly in earnings calls.