Mobile World Live (MWL) brings you our top three picks of the week as Apple’s leadership reshuffle gathered pace under a new CEO, AI was tipped to drive a $31.6 trillion data centre investment boom and Deutsche Telekom reshaped its executive board.

Maestri latest Apple shift as Ternus takes over

What happened: Former Apple CFO Luca Maestri reportedly stepped down from his corporate services role, marking another change among top executives at the iPhone-maker as John Ternus began his tenure as CEO.

Why it matters: Bloomberg reported Maestri recently left the VP position and now has no formal responsibilities beyond teaching a class at Apple University, the company’s internal leadership programme. His corporate services responsibilities have moved to successor Kevan Parekh, while COO Sabih Khan and services chief Eddy Cue are also taking on broader roles as Ternus builds his leadership team.

The reshuffle comes as Ternus takes over a company under pressure to find its next growth driver, while Tim Cook moves to executive chairman after 15 years as CEO. PP Foresight analyst Paolo Pescatore told Mobile World Live (MWL) Ternus has an opportunity to bring Apple’s “hardware, silicon and product development even closer together”, particularly around AI and new form factors. However, he warned that “leadership change brings both risk and opportunity”, with Apple losing considerable experience as the technology sector shifts investment towards AI, silicon and new computing platforms.

Maestri latest Apple shift as Ternus takes over

AI poised to drive $32T data centre boom

What happened: AI is set to drive a $31.6 trillion data centre investment boom through to 2050, with annual spending forecast to more than double from around $800 billion this year to $1.8 trillion by the end of the period, according to PwC.

Why it matters: The US is expected to capture almost half of cumulative spending, at $15.1 trillion, followed by Asia Pacific at $8.2 trillion and Europe at $5.6 trillion. However, access to affordable, reliable and low-carbon electricity could prove to be a “binding constraint”. Additionally, export controls on advanced GPUs could reduce spending to $25.5 trillion, while a push on digital sovereignty would redistribute investment geographically.

Global concern over resource-hungry AI data centres has been mounting. Earlier this year, New York became the first US state to halt approvals for new hyperscale facilities as it develops rules around grid pressure, land, noise and water use. Indeed, Goldman Sachs Research expects global data centre power demand to rise 170% by 2030 from 2025 levels, while delays connecting facilities to US power grids can stretch to seven years.

The investment bank also raised questions over the practical economics of the AI buildout, with most enterprises yet to generate returns from their AI spending. Jim Covello, head of global equity research at Goldman Sachs, noted: “At some point you got to make money.”

AI poised to drive $32T data centre boom

DT names next CFO, CTO in executive reshuffle

What happened: Deutsche Telekom revamped its executive board, with Dhananjay Mirchandani set to replace Christian Illek as CFO in May 2027 and Jan Hofmeyr taking over as board member for Product and Technology in November.

Why it matters: Illek, 62, will leave after the company’s 2027 annual general meeting, ending a 20-year career at the operator for “age-related reasons”. Mirchandani joined the operator in 2019 and currently heads Group Controlling. Meanwhile, Hofmeyr, with prior experience leading the telecoms business at Amazon Web Services, replaces Abdu Mudesir, who left Deutsche Telekom earlier this year and has since landed at Verizon. Separately, Mladen Mitic will also become chief product and digital officer, replacing Jonathan Abrahamson.

Deutsche Telekom CEO Tim Hoettges said: “You can also recognise a strong company by the fact it puts its next generation in charge in good time. That’s exactly what we’re doing now.” The leadership reshuffle comes as Hoettges faces pressure from activist investor Elliott Management over the operator’s strategy for T-Mobile US. According to Bloomberg, Elliott has built a sizeable stake in the German telco and is pushing management to reconsider plans to pursue greater control of the US business, arguing instead for measures such as increased share buybacks to unlock shareholder value.

DT names next CFO, CTO in executive reshuffle

The post The Friday File: Apple; AI; DT appeared first on Mobile World Live.

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