Apple's new CEO just made his first big call for employees, and I love it

John Ternus is keeping one of Apple's longest-running employee perks alive in his first holiday season as CEO, giving most US teams the entire Thanksgiving week off. He shared the news in a companywide memo that also celebrated the new lineup, from the iPhone 18 Pro Max camera to the upcoming iPhone Duo.

Ternus gives Apple's US teams the whole Thanksgiving week

The memo comes from Bloomberg's lead Apple reporter Mark Gurman, in his latest Power On newsletter. Gurman says the tradition began under Steve Jobs, and although scrapping it has come up over the years, it's sticking around now that Ternus has taken over from Tim Cook.

Most US teams get Monday through Wednesday off, on top of the Thursday and Friday that are already holidays. Retail, AppleCare and international staff, who can't all step away that week, get three extra days to take later instead.



Ternus also used the memo to show off a little, recalling how customers in New York reacted to the new iPhone camera, Apple Watch health features and AirPods, all before the iPhone Duo even hits shelves.

The Tim Cook memo that set the template

This isn't a big change for anyone at Apple, and that's pretty much the point. Ternus only became CEO on September 1, and Apple has seen plenty of leadership changes this year, so keeping a familiar perk sends a calm, steady message to the people working for him.

It should be noted that the full week off became a regular thing under Cook, who, according to this report, vetoed opening Apple Stores on Thanksgiving after trying it in 2012.

If Ternus's memo sounds familiar, that's because Cook wrote almost the same one back in 2014. As we covered at the time, Cook called that September a record-setting month, pointing to the iPhone 6, Apple Pay and the first Apple Watch preview, before giving US teams November 24 through 26 off.

Retail and AppleCare staff got their days later back then too, so even the fine print hasn't changed. The one difference is that Cook framed the break around rest, while Ternus leaned on the products themselves, which fits someone who spent years running Apple's hardware engineering.

Who gets what from Apple's extended break

Most of Apple's US corporate staff get nine days in a row away from work once you count both weekends. For Retail and AppleCare employees, Thanksgiving week is one of their busiest stretches of the year, so the delayed days are a fair way to include them without closing stores or support lines during the holiday rush.



For those of us on the customer side, nothing changes, since the Retail and AppleCare teams we deal with are the ones taking their days later.

A small perk that says a lot about Apple's new CEO

I don't think Ternus had much reason to touch this, but it's still nice to see a new CEO start by keeping something people care about rather than trimming it. His memo shows he knows the new lineup is his first real test, and the break is his way of thanking the people who built it.

I'm hoping this steady approach carries over to the products too, especially once the iPhone Duo is in people's hands. For now, I'm just happy for everyone at Apple getting a well-earned week with their families.

More on John Ternus and Apple's new lineup:

• See how Ternus stacks up against Jobs and Cook
• Everything to know about the iPhone Duo
• Apple iPhone 18 Pro Max

• Follow me on X and Threads

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