Apple is witnessing an unusually concentrated wave of senior exits just as it tries to reposition itself for an AI-driven future. A series of exits and impending departures across top management and engineering ranks in recent weeks has raised fresh questions about the stability of the company’s leadership bench — and the readiness of the world’s most valuable firm to accelerate its artificial-intelligence (AI) push.
A Yahoo Finance report said that while a quick succession of exits usually signifies a sinking boat, there could be more to this situation.
The churn comes at a moment of financial strength: Apple has posted strong quarterly results powered by new iPhone sales, its market value has climbed past $4 trillion, and the stock is trading near record highs. The issue, the report said, isn’t performance—it’s who is leaving, and from which parts of the organization.
According to the report, Apple has been under mounting pressure to deliver on AI, a space where critics argue it has fallen behind despite the technology’s transformative potential. Many of the executives now exiting were tied to AI product integration, hardware strategy or design — the very areas Apple needs to lean on as it tries to close the gap.
Also Read | Apple onboards Meta’s chief legal officer Jennifer Newstead as general counselApple’s executive departures: A snapshotIn 2019, Apple’s legendary executive, Jony Ive, exited the company to join OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, where he is reportedly now working with Sam Altman on AI hardware.In 2024, Apple’s former hardware chief Dan Riccio also retired.In November, Apple announced that its Chief Operating Officer, Jeff Williams, retired — he was second in line to CEO Tim Cook.On 1 December, Apple announced that John Giannandrea, Senior Vice President for Machine Learning and AI Strategy, is stepping down but will continue to serve as an advisor until spring 2026, before retiring.Also Read | Who is Alan Dye? Key design executive, behind Apple Watch UI, poached by MetaThen, on 3 December, Apple confirmed that long-time designer Stephen Lemay will replace Chief Designer Alan Dye, who departed for Meta this week. He was behind some of the company’s most iconic rollouts since the Steve Jobs era, including the Apple Watch UI, iOS 7, and Liquid Glass UI. Dye had reportedly taken a more prominent role in the wake of Ive’s departure, so the loss will be felt.On 5 December, Apple announced that it had appointed Jennifer Newstead, former Chief Legal Officer of Meta Platforms, as General Counsel, replacing Kate Adams, who will retire on 1 March.On the same day, Apple also announced that Vice President for Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives Lisa Jackson is also set to retire next month in January 2026.Now, there are reports that Apple’s Senior Vice President of Hardware Technologies, Johny Srouji, has informed Tim Cook that he is seriously considering leaving in the near future, Bloomberg reported, citing sources. The report said that he plans to join another company. Srouji is highly respected in Apple, as the architect of Apple’s prized in-house chips effort, it added.
Besides this, CEO Tim Cook is nearing retirement age, and there is big speculation over who will, or can, take over after front-runner Jeff Williams left.
Also Read | Degree not enough, here’s Coursera CEO’s advice to his sons on AI taking jobsWhat does Apple’s executive exodus hint at for future?
Notably, Apple has not explicitly said that the executive changes are AI development-based, but most of those on their way out have been closely associated with its AI product integration or design aspects.
Deepwater Asset Management managing partner and longtime Apple watcher Gene Munster told Yahoo Finance, “I think that the changes that have happened are largely because Cook wants to shake things up. And instead of being a follower in AI, he wants to be a leader. So, I think it’s more than just a typical transition. I think … this is a big deal.”
A veteran engineer who joined in 2018, with prior experience at Microsoft and Google, Giannandrea’s departure was viewed as a strategic move, as Apple continued to lag behind competitors in the AI space, as per various reports.
Also Read | Apple executives, engineers resign in shocker for company; chip head may go too
Now filling the role is researcher Amar Subramanya, who moved from corporate Vice President of AI at Microsoft, before which he spent 16 years heading engineering for Google’s Gemini digital assistant. He will report to Apple’s Senior Vice President of Software Engineering Craig Federighi.
Announcing his appointment, Apple cited Subramanya’s experience integrating AI into features and products as “important to Apple’s ongoing innovation and future Apple Intelligence features”, AFP reported.
Commenting on Subramanya’s appointment in the company release, Apple CEO Tim Cook said AI is “central to Apple’s strategy” and that the new chief will bring “extraordinary AI expertise” to the role.
Alan Dye, meanwhile, was involved in the Apple Vision Pro launch and helped with “integrating eye/hand interactions and immersion”. In 2025, he led the design of Liquid Glass and helped unify the design language for iOS, iPadOS, MacOS, watchOS and tvOS.
ZK Research founder and principal analyst Zeus Kerravala told Yahoo Finance, “There is a renewed push by Apple to accelerate its AI roadmap, especially after criticism that its earlier AI efforts with Siri … lagged behind a lot of the rivals. I think what makes Apple kind of unique is they can be behind [in] technology because of the fandom that’s around Apple and the ecosystem that they lock people into. I think, from an Apple perspective right now, it’s ‘make these changes now, and make sure you are positioned well,’ or you are going to start losing share, eventually.”
(With inputs from Agencies)
Key Takeaways
While a quick succession of exits, usually signifies a sinking boat, there could be more to this situation at Apple. The competition in the AI space is intensifying, requiring Apple to innovate rapidly.Tim Cook’s impending retirement raises questions about future leadership and vision at Apple.