Jeff Williams, who served as Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Apple for many years, left the company completely at the end of the year, in line with the decision announced in July. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman’s X post, Williams completed his last shift at Apple the other day. Williams, who directed the company’s operational processes during his tenure at Apple, assumed important responsibilities in many critical areas, from the development of the Apple Watch to the management of the global supply chain.
Williams moved to the COO position of Apple in the 2010s and held this position for about 10 years. Although his official retirement process has now been completed, he started a gradual transition process by handing over operational duties to Sabih Khan in the first months of 2024. Khan served as Apple’s Senior Vice President of Operations. With Williams’ departure, some areas of responsibility within the company were restructured and transferred to various leaders.
Jeff Williams was one of the most important names of Apple Watch
Williams’ job description at Apple wasn’t just about operations. He had a wide range of influence, from Apple Watch’s hardware and software development processes to the company’s health initiatives, from customer support services to the management of the design team. This wide range of duties was divided among different managers after retirement. According to Bloomberg previously reported, Apple’s health and fitness teams will now report to Senior Vice President of Services Eddy Cue. watchOS software was handed over to Craig Federighi, while Apple Watch hardware was handled by the Hardware Engineering department led by John Ternus.
Apple CEO Tim Cook emphasized Williams’ contributions with the following words: “We have worked with Jeff almost since the beginning of our careers. He has contributed greatly to where Apple is today. He has contributed to many different areas, from our global supply chain to the development of Apple Watch, from the creation of our health strategy to the management of our design team. I am eternally grateful to him both professionally and for his personal friendship.”
Jeff Williams’ departure is considered the first step in a broader leadership change expected at Apple. Information from within the company shows that more than one senior manager is expected to retire in the coming period. CEO Tim Cook’s name is also mentioned among these.
On the other hand, John Ternus’s name stands out as the future CEO of Apple. Ternus stands out with its leadership in hardware engineering. Although there is currently no official date for when Cook will leave his position, it is estimated that this transition was planned within the company before it was announced publicly.