Last July, Apple announced that its longtime Chief Operating Officer, Jeff Williams, would retire “late in the year.” According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, he just clocked out for the last time.
Williams’ last day at Apple was today
Williams, who oversaw Apple’s operations for a decade, had already stepped down as de facto COO earlier this year, handing the reins to Sabih Khan, who had been working as Apple’s senior vice president of Operations.
At the time, Tim Cook said the following about Williams:
“Jeff and I have worked alongside each other for as long as I can remember, and Apple wouldn’t be what it is without him. He’s helped to create one of the most respected global supply chains in the world; launched Apple Watch and overseen its development; architected Apple’s health strategy; and led our world class team of designers with great wisdom, heart, and dedication. I am and will always be beyond grateful for his numerous contributions to Apple over the years and his loyal friendship. Jeff’s true legacy can be seen in the amazing team he’s created and, while he’ll be greatly missed, he leaves the work of the future in incredible hands.”
In addition to serving as Apple’s COO, Williams had also been overseeing the company’s customer service and support, the design team, software and hardware engineering for the Apple Watch, and Apple’s overall health initiatives.
Recently, Bloomberg reported that some of Williams’ responsibilities would be split, with the health and fitness teams reporting to Apple’s Senior Vice President of Services Eddy Cue, watchOS shifting to Senior Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi, and Apple Watch hardware engineering being handed to Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering John Ternus.
Today’s transition is the beginning of a wider leadership shift within Apple, as multiple executives are expected to retire rather soon, including Apple CEO Tim Cook.
Right now, Ternus is reportedly the frontrunner to become Apple’s next CEO, although there doesn’t seem to be a precise date in sight (at least publicly) of when that may actually happen.
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