Apple's Chief People Officer Leaves Company After 20 Months - MacRumors
Skip to Content

Apple's Chief People Officer Leaves Company After 20 Months

Apple's chief people officer Carol Surface is leaving the company, reports Bloomberg. Surface joined Apple in February 2023, so she has been at the company less than two years.

Apple Logo
Most senior executives are at Apple for much longer periods of time, and it is not clear why Surface is leaving. She was hired when Apple decided to split its primary human resources role from retail last year, and she reported directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook.

Deirdre O'Brien had been handling both the retail and people (or HR) role, but when Surface took over, O'Brien transitioned to just overseeing retail. With Surface leaving, O'Brien will once again oversee both people and retail.

Surface was previously the chief human resources officer at Medtronic, and the chief people officer title was created when she joined Apple.

Popular Stories

Surprise and Shine Live Coverage Article

Apple Event Live Blog: iPhone Duo, iPhone 18 Pro, and More Expected

Wednesday September 9, 2026 9:10 am PDT by
Apple's "Surprise and Shine" event kicks off today at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, where we're expecting to see the foldable iPhone Duo, the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4 models, new AirPods 5 earphones, and perhaps some other announcements. Apple is providing a live video stream on its website, on YouTube, and in the company's TV app across various platforms. We...
apple surprise and shine event

Apple Event Today: iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone Duo Cheat Sheet

Tuesday September 8, 2026 10:24 am PDT by
Apple's biggest event of the year is almost here, and all eyes are on Cupertino. With the first foldable iPhone expected to headline Apple's "Surprise and Shine" event on Wednesday, September 9, at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time, the rumor mill has been running full throttle, fuelled by the biggest single design change in the life of the iPhone. To get you up to speed, here's a quick reference...
iphone duo

Apple Announces Foldable 'iPhone Duo'

Wednesday September 9, 2026 10:56 am PDT by
Apple today announced the "iPhone Duo," a new kind of iPhone featuring two screens and a foldable inner display. The two halves of the iPhone Duo connect into a single continuous frame with the same aspect ratio across both displays, and Apple said the transition between open and closed is designed to feel fluid. When fully open, Apple says it is the thinnest iPhone ever made, with an...

Top Rated Comments

techno-Zen Avatar
25 months ago
It's ok, Kelly ThinkPad will be filling her shoes shortly
Score: 51 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Chuckeee Avatar
25 months ago
“Chief People Officer” !?!
Just another garbage job title.
🤮
Score: 49 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Andres Cantu Avatar
25 months ago
We need a Chief Bug Fix Officer.
Score: 38 Votes (Like | Disagree)
25 months ago
Chief People Officer? Sounds like a Severance episode.
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
25 months ago
Guess she wasn't a people person
Score: 33 Votes (Like | Disagree)
theolderoldcoot Avatar
25 months ago
The big question is when is Tim Cook leaving.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)