In a dramatic turn of events, Apple Inc., long considered a bastion of stability in the volatile tech world, is grappling with its most substantial leadership and talent upheaval in recent memory. A wave of departures has hit the Cupertino-based giant's highest ranks and its crucial artificial intelligence division, posing significant challenges for CEO Tim Cook's strategy in the AI era.
A C-Suite in Flux: Key Departures Rock Apple
The past week alone saw the exit of four senior executives who reported directly to Tim Cook. John Giannandrea, the head of artificial intelligence, and Alan Dye, the head of interface design, both stepped down. This was swiftly followed by announcements that Kate Adams, the General Counsel, and Lisa Jackson, Vice President for Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives, are also leaving the company.
Perhaps more alarming is the potential departure of Johny Srouji, Apple's highly respected Senior Vice President of Hardware Technologies and the architect of its successful in-house silicon chips. Sources indicate Srouji has informed CEO Tim Cook he is seriously considering leaving in the near future and has told colleagues he plans to join another company if he goes.
These changes follow other major exits. Jeff Williams, Cook's longtime second-in-command as Chief Operating Officer, retired last month. Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri has already stepped into a smaller role and is expected to retire soon. This collective exodus marks an unprecedented level of turnover at the top of Apple's corporate ladder.
The AI Brain Drain: A Critical Threat to Innovation
Simultaneously, Apple is suffering a severe talent drain in its artificial intelligence division, with engineers and researchers being aggressively poached by rivals. Companies like Meta Platforms Inc., OpenAI, and various startups have successfully lured away many of Apple's AI experts.
This exodus threatens to cripple Apple's efforts to catch up in the generative AI race, an area where it has already faced setbacks. The company's Apple Intelligence platform has suffered delays and underwhelming features, and a major overhaul of the Siri voice assistant is reportedly about a year and a half behind schedule. The software's heavy reliance on a partnership with Google's Gemini to fill capability gaps has also demoralised internal teams.
The departures are widespread. Robby Walker, who oversaw Siri, left in October. AI models chief Ruoming Pang left for Meta, taking colleagues like Tom Gunter and Frank Chu with him. The AI robotics software team lost its leader, Jian Zhang, also to Meta. This talent flight, fueled by lucrative compensation packages from competitors, has left Apple's AI organisation with low morale.
Internal Restructuring and the Succession Question
In response, Apple is undergoing a significant internal power reshuffle. More authority is now flowing to a core group: hardware chief John Ternus, services head Eddy Cue, software boss Craig Federighi (who is now the de facto AI chief), and new COO Sabih Khan.
All eyes are on John Ternus, the 50-year-old hardware engineering head, who is seen as the frontrunner to eventually succeed Tim Cook. He has been given increased responsibility over future growth areas like robotics and smart glasses. Cook himself, who turned 65 last month, is unlikely to leave imminently but is expected to eventually shift to a Chairman role, maintaining influence. Succession planning has been underway for years.
To stem the bleeding, Cook is offering substantial compensation packages to retain key figures like Srouji. Internally, some have even discussed elevating Srouji to Chief Technology Officer. Apple has also made counter-hires, such as poaching Meta's Chief Legal Officer, Jennifer Newstead, to become its own General Counsel. Newstead's experience fighting the US Federal Trade Commission will be valuable as Apple battles its own antitrust lawsuit with the Justice Department.
Despite the turmoil, Apple insists it is working on its most innovative product lineup ever, including foldable devices, smart glasses, and robots. However, the company hasn't launched a successful new product category in over a decade, making it vulnerable to more agile rivals. As veteran executives reach retirement age and AI talent seeks greener pastures, Tim Cook's leadership is being tested like never before to rebuild Apple's ranks and secure its future in the AI-dominated landscape.
