Apple’s design team will report directly to CEO Tim Cook once longtime Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams retires later this year. The change marks a significant leadership shift inside Apple’s product design structure, which has been reshaped multiple times since Jony Ive’s departure in 2019.
Williams, who has served as COO since 2015, currently oversees not just operations but also Apple’s industrial and human interface design teams, as well as its Apple Watch and Health initiatives. Sabih Khan, Apple’s senior vice president of Operations, will take over as COO later this month. Once Williams steps down, Cook will take direct control of the design division for the first time.
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Jony Ive’s Exit Started the Shift
Apple began restructuring its design leadership following Jony Ive’s exit in 2019. At the time, design responsibilities were split between Evans Hankey and Alan Dye, both reporting to Williams. When Hankey left Apple in 2023, the company eliminated the role of industrial design chief altogether. Williams then took full oversight of the design team.
With his upcoming retirement, Apple has opted not to appoint a new design lead under the COO but instead shift responsibility directly to Cook.
“Apple’s design team will transition to reporting directly to Cook after Williams retires late in the year,” the company confirmed in a press release. “Williams will continue reporting to Apple CEO Tim Cook and overseeing the design team and Apple Watch alongside the company’s Health initiatives” until then.
Khan to Take Over as COO
Sabih Khan will assume the COO role after nearly three decades at Apple, having led global supply chain operations since 2019. He played a key role in Apple’s manufacturing expansion and sustainability efforts, helping reduce the company’s carbon footprint by over 60 percent.
Tim Cook praised Khan as a “brilliant strategist” and credited him for building one of the most advanced manufacturing systems in the world.
“He has helped pioneer new technologies in advanced manufacturing, overseen the expansion of Apple’s manufacturing footprint in the United States, and helped ensure that Apple can be nimble in response to global challenges,” said Cook.
Williams reflected on his 27-year tenure, calling his time at Apple “the privilege of a lifetime.” He also expressed confidence in Khan’s leadership as COO.
“I’ve had the pleasure of working closely with Sabih for 27 years and I think he’s the most talented operations executive on the planet,” Williams said.
With this transition, Apple is consolidating leadership in a way that puts more design influence directly in the hands of its CEO, something the company hasn’t done since the earliest days of the iPhone.
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