apple
Apple announces chief operating officer transition
Discussion
That makes the CEO succession issue interesting - for sure thought it would be Williams.
Is Khan the guy who Tim Cook expected to leave a meeting to immediately fly to China to fix some problem?
I believe that’s the same person, yes.
Usually C suite will leave if there is word that they aren’t up for the CEO role. I’ve worked for major entertainment companies most of my life and this has always been the case.
Bingo. Exactly this. If you worked there for 5-10 years in an (c-level) exec role and are not on the table for CEO you should leave, you are not appreciated fully there.
Or you're just not good enough.
That too. Though, by any means, if you are not good enough to be considered for CEO, you probably shouldn’t be C level as well.
On the other hand, I’ve seen enough CEOs to know that ability is mostly a crapshoot. Everyone has big ideas on how to fix everything, few CEOs have the actual ability to create real game-changing impact.
peter principle - they move on to become a inept ceo at another company instead
Whoever it is won't be the same generation as Cook who is 64 - Williams is 62, Khan is 59 - or they'll be very short tenures.
Yep. That’s him. Not just expected. He did do it
John Ternus
It’ll be Craig Federighi
Zero shot. He wants to stay in charge of software and he’s better there. 100% Ternus.
Hair Force 1
Exactly, I assumed everyone understood that he was the next one in line. He’s the main public facing C-Suite member.
to be honest, can’t wait.
Tim Cook is great at keeping things running smoothly, but has no vision.
Can’t say Craig has, I really have no idea, but he seems up for the role and it can’t be worse regarding vision than Tim
Craig has something important that Tim doesn’t. Charisma and a fun personality (at least on stage). He gives me some of that energy that Steve Jobs had, he’s able to make a good presence on stage.
I appreciated his composed and pleasant demeanor during the keynotes. I hope everything goes well for him.
Extremely wholesome comment. Agree. Seems like a good guy.
This is sad. I like Jeff Williams. Also I did not know Sabih Khan worked for Apple for 27 years, which means he was instrumental in helping Apple from 1997 onwards, which is really good, and he worked with Steve Jobs too. That’s good to have in a team leader at Apple
I hope Jeff is okay and I wish him the best.
I also really like that the industrial design team will once again report to Tim Cook directly!
I hope Jeff is okay and I wish him the best.
Hopefully. He is 62 and appears to be worth around $100 million according to Google. He's probably just exiting the rat race for good to go enjoy life.
I doubt he was seriously in the running to replace Cook at his age.
Someone worth $100 million hasn't been part of the rat race for a long time.
Are you being serious right now?
I’m referring to his health.
When was it insinuated that I did not understand that?
Typically when people say wish someone who has a lot of money well and follow up responses mention how much money they have, usually it means they’re mocking. How am I to tell your intention lol? Hence my comment!
The very first word I used is 'hopefully', meaning that I concur with your initial statement. I then go on to expand with the fact that I'd easily believe he is just going for a normal retirement rather than being forced out for health issues.
This all makes perfect English sense to me, but maybe I really needed to elaborate more?...
Whatever, I suppose.
My dude, people are plenty sarcastic and a lot of people hate Apple on Reddit. My presumption of what I thought you were saying was wrong but not without merit. I’m glad we agree lol
“Sorry I was wrong and incorrectly called you out. My bad homie”
What is there to apologize for in my original comment? This website is really silly beyond belief.
Not original.. you called out someone “are you being serious?”, they corrected the assumption and the normal response is to apologise for being wrong.
If you’re not a part of the solution on reddit..
"you know what they say when you assume"
I didn’t assume though. If this forum had less trolls I wouldn’t have presumed that!
Khan has actually worked for Apple for 30 years (from 1995). Williams says they’ve worked together for 27 years because he didn’t start at Apple until after Khan.
Why? Tim has no understanding of design.
Because design is integral to Apple? Are you new to Apple or something? It needs to be the basis of all decisions. This is Apple, not Google, Facebook, Microsoft, etc.
Edit: This is how Steve left it: design reports to the CEO, and Steve literally said he knows Tim is not a “product person.”
So your comment looks less like a reasonable question and more like a crap attempt at a dig at Tim Cook
@below
Tim Cook has introduced multiple design revolutions and products, ones arguably more important in the grand sche than Steve. Apple Watch has saved people’s lives, as has leading the satellite smartphone revolution. It’s hard to create a more life changing product than one that saves your life.
Please stop with the low effort trolling
This is exactly why Tim should leave and get someone who’s actually creative in their role
You're going to be blown away when you realize what a CEO's job is.
But the CEO isn’t supposed to be head of design, he chooses good people under him and manages them.
Williams did a great job and helped lead Apple to what it is today. He was too old to take over as CEO and frankly good for him for choosing to retire at around the “typical” age for his generation and using all that wealth to be free to spend with family and friends. Never know what will happen to the body, especially at that age.
Interesting:
Does this mean that Sabih Khan could be Apple's next CEO? I know he's not that far off from Tim in age (59 vs 64), but mind you that Tim started off as COO before becoming CEO. Everyone was also expecting Jeff to be the next CEO candidate.
Sabih also seems to be at least more design focused than Tim, so that helps give him a leg up. Not a Steve level products guy, but still cared about looks to some degree.
I had to google the guy. Had no idea who you’re talking about. But yeah, he may be a candidate but I still think it’s gonna be either Ternus or iJustine
Probably equal odds between those two, I’d say.
iJustine as an Apple employee?
I had a good laugh. Thank you
Is this the ijustine I know from YouTube?
Hey, don't count out Rene Ritchie just yet. Maybe he and iJustine can be co-CEOs
They make a surprise one more thing moment in the future and Johnny Ive will become CEO.
They will choose a sales guy like Balmer who took over Microsoft. It will always be a sales guy because they know how to please shareholders and the board and increase market share in Brazil.
Imagine the chaos if they literally chose Steve Ballmer
Fortunately he’s too old and rich to want the job.
What’s wrong with market share in Brazil?
God I wish Craig isn’t the next ceo. Imagine the whole company as awful as their once cherished software.
Liquid glass was a baller move, the amount of customization and new stuff coming from Craig’s team is awesome.
Apple’s world class design team. Hehe
Are you trying to say Apple doesn’t have a world class design team?
They do every 4-8 years.
And then they remember that pushing completely unnecessary style changes sells more product.
Nobody could have designed a bigger camera clump!
iPhones aren’t the only thing they make
They’ve kinda been asleep at the wheel recently. “Liquid glass”? It’s 2007 Windows Vista but “we think you’re gonna love itTM”
The macbook pro series has the best design its ever had..
Each successive beta they’ve rolled back more of the Liquid Glass stuff since it’s so illegible.
Which sucks, because it’s perfectly legible
I’d expect a “world class” design team to get it right the first time.
I think that Apple made a mistake with public betas. Should be dev only and NDA. Less nonsense that way.
Yea but that doesn’t work. I’m far from a developer but I’ve been running betas since iOS 6. There’s always stuff getting out
Yep, apart from the first few iterations of Aqua I don't remember designers from Steve's era to have needed to walk back any of their designs. Because they knew what they were doing and backed their design up with research and actual knowledge instead of vibes.
iOS 7 changed utterly over the beta cycle.
It didn’t really, final product was extraordinarily similar to the betas
Well there was the whole antenna band issue with the iPhone 4
LG is more like Aqua which they created, less like Aero
Not anymore. It died when Ive left.
Ah yes, Ive, the guy who thought that a pro level computer should have 2 thunderbolt ports, one of which is the charging port.
He was always aesthetics > function though.
Exactly. The same Jeff that sold me a Series 9 but was actually just a series 8 with double tap features. He will not be missed.
All new design baby
The switch up, just in time as apple is heading into a new era, iphone air, iPhone ultra fold and new advanced manufacturing processes with a fresh look.
Yep, unbroken ground for sure.
Thinner iPhone, another iPhone, and advanced manufacturing. Is this even the same Apple?
Touché, phones invented in the 1800’s made kazillions, computers in the 1900’s made hundreds of trillions your facetious post priceless.
I have no idea what your point is.
I suspect I'm not alone.
Just saying your right, and was funny 🍻
Cheers indeed!
Cook needs to go
No he doesn’t lmfao. The dude has kept Apple Apple, and expanded into products that not only changed people’s lives but have saved them.
I’m quite happy with Tim Cook.
However, if you feel differently, you can go and buy a different product!
that not only changed people’s lives but have saved them.
We aren't beating the "Apple is a cult" allegations...
The Apple Watch has absolutely saved lives.
So has call functionality on an LG Rumour.
So has the Chinese tire company that kept a rotting Sunfire on the road.
So has a maker of single-use water bottles.
I mean the satellite messaging feature is a bit beyond some linglong tires but whatever you say
If you say so. There’s definitely documented proof of people having heart issues and getting help, falling and being able to contact emergency services via sos, being found when lost and many other things.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/8-times-the-apple-watch-predicted-danger-and-saved-lives-in-2024/
https://www.cultofmac.com/apple-history/apple-watch-saves-lives
It isn’t opinion.
Why does this keep getting brought up? Doesn’t every phone ever made have the life saving feature of being able to dial 911?
Who fucking cares if a few people were helped from some tertiary device function. Like great that they were saved, but Life Alert has done even more but no one is shouting the praises of their CEO as if it’s some special thing.
My comment isn't an opinion, either. Those are objective facts.
But you don't see me pretending that LG is a benevolent saviour. If those features were netting Apple a financial loss, they'd be gone tomorrow.
I'm not begging people to praise Nokia because calling 911 saved my life. They're a corporation. The feature exists because it sells.
This is....just weird.
[and you blocked me lol]
Nokia invented 911? Interesting, didn’t know that!
What do you mean by changed people's lives and saved them? So you mean like Jesus Christ?
no, because tim cook exists. probably the apple watch stuff, satellite connections for newer iphones, etc..
And you guys downvoted me… Tim Cook is getting the axe if things don’t change fast. I don’t think most people understand how dire their internal company vision is. Tim is great at making money but Apple is rapidly losing their chokehold in innovation. Red alarms are going off inside Apple.
Why are they announcing if he’s becoming trans?
My first reaction to this headline was definitely “good for her!”
"Design team will report directly to Tim Cook after Jeff Williams retires this year" - well, did not have that in my 2025 bingo card
I think this is expecting a change of CEO at some point, and someone with more “vision” than operational
It’s simply returning design team to be integral. Everyone one social media cried that the design team reported to the COO. Now it’s reporting back to Tim Cook and OMG HE IS GONNA RETIRE NOW.
He likely is going to retire. He's been doing it a long time, and was COO for a long time before that.
John Ternus I’d imagine
Did he run point on the transition to Apple silicon?
That person needs to be put in charge of everything. Talk about a seamless revolutionary transition that impressed everyone beyond our wildest dreams.
That was srouji, but Ternus did all the non-silicon hardware stuff. From what we’ve seen, he’s the best man for the job by far.
I would imagine he did, he was in charge of AirPods, Mac & iPad hardware engineering from 2013 - 2020.
Don’t know if Apple necessarily put chips under hardware or its own standalone thing but I’d imagine he was at least running point on it.
There are 2 HW groups, led by Srouji and Ternus respectively.
Completely wrong. Jonny Srouji is responsible for that - HW technologies VP
John Apple
Yeah, that's my bet too
Matias Duerte
Nah, gotta be Craig
Craig desperately wants it to be Craig.
Hope not. With the exception of the amazingly seamless Apple Silicon transition, software really hasn’t been great under his watch.
Either more „vision“ focused, so Ternus it might be. Or more developer, functional based, than Federighi it is.
He's in his 60's and probably has hundreds of millions if not more. If I were him even if they offered it, I think I'd pass and enjoy life.
Bring back Scott Forstall, a la Steve 2.0
One can wish. Apple's software design lately has been atrocious.
“Their creativity will be as wide as my child bearing hips.” - Tim Cook.