Apple COO Jeff Williams Plans Retirement, Design Team to Report Directly to CEO Tim Cook

Apple announced that Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams will retire by the end of 2025, leading to significant leadership changes. Williams, who has been instrumental in Apple's supply chain management and health initiatives since joining in 1998, will continue overseeing the design team, Apple Watch, and health efforts until his departure. After Williams retires, Senior Vice President of Operations Sabih Khan, a 30-year Apple veteran, will become COO but will not oversee the design team. Instead, Apple's design team will report directly to CEO Tim Cook, a move intended to maintain design consistency and align product innovation with Cook's vision. This leadership restructuring follows a period of instability in Apple's design leadership since Jony Ive's 2019 departure, with the design team previously managed by Williams and other design leads. Industry analysts also note that with Williams stepping down, potential candidates to succeed as Apple's CEO include John Ternus, Craig Federighi, and Eddy Cue.