The statement is false. A Terraform plan file, typically created using terraform plan -out=filename, is a portable artifact. Any user or automated system that has read access to the plan file and possesses the necessary credentials and permissions for the target cloud provider can execute terraform apply using that file. The identity of the user who generated the plan is not a prerequisite for applying it. This separation of planning and applying is a fundamental feature that enables collaborative workflows, such as code review and CI/CD pipelines, where one user or process generates a plan for review, and a different user or automated process applies it after approval.

The statement "True" is incorrect because it wrongly implies an identity-based restriction is built into Terraform's core workflow. The ability to apply a plan is governed by the permissions of the entity executing the terraform apply command, not the identity of the entity that ran terraform plan.

1. HashiCorp Terraform Documentation, "Command: plan": In the section "Saving a Plan", the documentation states, "To save the generated plan to a file, use the -out command line option... This is primarily used when you want to be sure that exactly the planned operations are executed... You can then later execute this plan with terraform apply." This describes the mechanism of creating a portable plan file without mentioning any user-specific restrictions.

2. HashiCorp Terraform Documentation, "Command: apply": In the section "Execution Modes", it details applying a saved plan file: "When you run terraform apply with a saved plan file, Terraform will make exactly the changes specified in the plan, and will not ask for confirmation." This confirms that the apply command's primary input is the plan file itself, not the identity of the user who created it.

3. HashiCorp Terraform Documentation, "Running Terraform in Automation": This guide explicitly outlines a recommended CI/CD workflow that contradicts the statement. It describes a process where "A CI job runs terraform plan and saves the plan file as an artifact. A human operator reviews the plan file and, if acceptable, triggers another CI job. The second job runs terraform apply with the saved plan file to carry out the planned changes." This workflow is fundamentally dependent on the ability of different users or systems to apply a plan generated by another.