Apple is reforming its design team: Liquid Glass now under Tim Cook's personal control
Apple is gearing up for a major overhaul of its management core. COO Jeff Williams, who has held the position since 2015, announced his departure from the company at the end of this year. Sabih Khan - its new COO, an Apple veteran since 1995 and current senior vice president of operations - will take over as COO on an interim basis from the end of July.
But the key news for the tech industry was Apple's decision to change the management structure of the design team - it now reports directly to CEO Tim Cook. Before the change, Williams was in charge of design, but after his departure he will transfer this part of the business personally to the CEO.
Here's What We Know
This transition follows logically from Apple's overall strategy: after the departure of Jony Ive in 2019, the design area has gone through several changes - first the business model changed, then the staff rotation, and now followed by the final step - returning control of design directly to Cook. This will strengthen design's connection to the company's global productivity and reinforce the focus on brand identity that Apple has been actively developing through the new Liquid Glass interface, as well as the modern look of the iPhone, MacBook and Vision Pro.
Apple itself has described this as a "long-planned generational shift." Williams will continue to support the design team, Apple Watch engineering and health initiatives until the end of the year, before handing control directly to Cook.
It's a logical move even amid doubts around Apple's ability to generate innovation: market watchers have been waiting for breakthroughs since Ive's departure, but occasional design changes (Liquid Glass, Vision Pro) prove the brand is still committed to maintaining its status as a leader in aesthetics and usability design.
Source: Appleinsider
