Apple's Longtime Design Chief Jony Ive Leaving to Start New Design Company With Apple as a Primary Client

Apple's longtime head of design, Jony Ive, is leaving the company to start his own design firm, Apple announced today. Though Ive is leaving, Apple will be one of Ive's "primary clients," which means Ive will continue to do design work for the Cupertino company.

In a statement, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that he is looking forward to working with Ive "long into the future."

timcookjonyive

"Jony is a singular figure in the design world and his role in Apple's revival cannot be overstated, from 1998's groundbreaking iMac to the iPhone and the unprecedented ambition of Apple Park, where recently he has been putting so much of his energy and care," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "Apple will continue to benefit from Jony's talents by working directly with him on exclusive projects, and through the ongoing work of the brilliant and passionate design team he has built. After so many years working closely together, I'm happy that our relationship continues to evolve and I look forward to working with Jony long into the future."

Design team leaders Evans Hankey and Alan Dye, vice presidents of Industrial Design and Human Interface design, respectively, will now be reporting to Jeff Williams, Apple's Chief Operating Officer.

Williams has overseen the development of the Apple Watch since its inception, and following Ive's departure, will spend more of his time working with the design team.

Ive said in a a statement that over the course of the last 30 years, he has worked to build a strong design team and culture at Apple, which is stronger and more talented today than at any point in Apple's history.

"After nearly 30 years and countless projects, I am most proud of the lasting work we have done to create a design team, process and culture at Apple that is without peer. Today it is stronger, more vibrant and more talented than at any point in Apple's history," said Ive. "The team will certainly thrive under the excellent leadership of Evans, Alan and Jeff, who have been among my closest collaborators. I have the utmost confidence in my designer colleagues at Apple, who remain my closest friends, and I look forward to working with them for many years to come."

There is no word on exactly when Ive will be departing Apple, as Apple's announcement simply says that he'll be leaving Apple as an employee later this year. In an interview with The Financial Times, Ive said his new company, created in partnership with Marc Newson, is called LoveFrom.

Apple will be LoveFrom's first client, and while Ive is departing, he said he will still be "very involved" for "many, many years to come." "This just seems like a natural and gentle time to make this change," he told The Financial Times.

In a separate announcement, Apple has named 24-year Apple veteran Sabih Khan to the executive team as a senior vice president of operations. He will be in charge of Apple's global supply chain, ensuring product quality and overseeing planning, procurement, manufacturing, logistics and product fulfillment functions, as well as Apple's supplier responsibility programs. He will continue to report to COO Jeff Williams.

In a statement, Apple CEO ‌Tim Cook‌ said "Sabih leads our Ops team with heart. He and his entire worldwide team are committed to delivering unmatched experiences to our customers, treating workers everywhere with dignity and respect, and protecting the environment for future generations."

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

Monday July 7, 2025 9:46 am PDT by
Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple's highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames, but it has now been rumored that this design decision will be coming to an end with the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo today, the account Instant Digital said that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an aluminum...
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 3

Monday July 7, 2025 1:20 pm PDT by
Apple is continuing to refine and update iOS 26, and beta three features smaller changes than we saw in beta 2, plus further tweaks to the Liquid Glass design. Apple is gearing up for the next phase of beta testing, and the company has promised that a public beta is set to come out in July. Transparency In some apps like Apple Music, Podcasts, and the App Store, Apple has toned down the...
imac video apple feature

Apple Launching These 15+ Products Later This Year

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
The calendar has turned to July, meaning that 2025 is now more than half over. And while the summer months are often quiet for Apple, the company still has more than a dozen products coming later this year, according to rumors. Below, we have outlined at least 15 new Apple products that are expected to launch later this year, along with key rumored features for each. iPhone 17 Series iPho...
iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
iPhone Car Key Kia

Here's Which Vehicles Offer iPhone Car Keys

Sunday July 6, 2025 3:03 pm PDT by
In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further. Apple has a web page with a list of vehicle models that ...
iphone 17 pro render majin bu

New iPhone 17 Pro Renders Highlight Apple Logo and MagSafe Design Changes

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:43 pm PDT by
New renders today provide the best look yet relocated Apple logo and redesigned MagSafe magnet array of the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Image via Majin Bu. Several of the design changes coming to the iPhone 17 Pro model have been rumored for some time, such as the elongated camera bump that spans the full width of the device, with the LiDAR Scanner and flash moving to the right side. ...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
apple account card feature

Apple Account Card Expanding to More Countries

Tuesday July 8, 2025 7:34 pm PDT by
Apple is expanding the ability to add an Apple Account Card to the Wallet app to more countries, according to backend Apple Pay changes. With iOS 15.5, Apple updated the Wallet app to allow users to add an Apple Account Card, which displays the Apple credit balance associated with an Apple ID. If you receive an Apple gift card, for example, it is added to an Apple Account that is also...

Top Rated Comments

SamGabbay Avatar
79 months ago
Bring back Forstall!
Score: 161 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DevNull0 Avatar
79 months ago
Can we please have someone who has more design objectives than "make it thinner". Enough of the literally 2-dimensional thinking.
Score: 152 Votes (Like | Disagree)
fenderbass146 Avatar
79 months ago
Jony! Thanks so much for some awesome designs through the years. With that said, I'm not sad to see him go, seems Apple has been fashion over function in the recent years. Ready to see what the next page in Apples history has to offer.
Score: 92 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rjp1 Avatar
79 months ago
Wish it was Tim
Score: 73 Votes (Like | Disagree)
drinkingtea Avatar
79 months ago
Oh, wow. This is a historic moment in Apple history.
Score: 72 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WRX-SRQ Avatar
79 months ago
Duh.

Long over due.
Score: 56 Votes (Like | Disagree)