John Ternus will take over as Apple CEO from Tim Cook in September. According to Bloomberg analyst Mark Gurman, a focus on design could be his first hallmark in the new role, especially as the department is currently lacking direction.
Under CEO Steve Jobs and Chief Design Officer Jony Ive, the industrial design studio was the heart of the company, the birthplace of iconic products such as the iMac, iPod, iPhone, and the first iPad.
"Engineers, operations leaders, marketing specialists, and directors all come here to find inspiration, see the design, and work together to build Apple's next bestseller."
"The design team is the most influential group in the company. Most other departments at Apple follow their vision. Product design is at the heart of everything," Gurman shared.
The golden age has passed.
Today, the situation has changed. Industrial design no longer holds a key position in Apple's senior management, and it has lost its role as a bridge between departments.
"Instead of shaping the product and creating iconic designs, the studio is now just a place where departments receive documents, such as drawings, prototypes, materials, or color choices, and then leave," a Bloomberg writer noted.
This situation began about 10 years ago, when Ive stepped down from his regular management role. At that time, the Apple Watch had just launched on the market. It was the company's first new product under CEO Tim Cook.
In 2015, Apple promoted Ive to chief design officer. This initiated the structural changes that led to Apple's success. By 2019, Ive left Apple to found LoveFrom, a design company that collaborates with several clients, including OpenAI.
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iPhone 17 Pro. Photo: Bloomberg . |
After Ive left, Apple's design division remained stable. He continued as a consultant until 2022, including on the self-driving car project (which was later canceled). At that time, most of the original staff were still working there. Evans Hankey took over leadership of the industrial design team after years of managing the studio.
However, Hankey and Ive's positions are quite different. She doesn't have a seat on the executive board like she does on the hardware engineering, software engineering, or marketing teams. This suggests that the design department's influence has diminished.
Instead, Hankey reported directly to Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams (now retired). Despite lacking design experience, Williams performed his job well. He also led the Apple Watch design process, becoming Cook's most trusted associate.
"With that structure, Apple replaced one of its most influential designers with a top supply chain director."
That decision speaks volumes about the shift in Apple's priorities under Cook. Even before that, prioritizing operations and finances over design annoyed Ive, largely contributing to his decision to leave the company," Gurman revealed.
Prolonged crisis
The decision to appoint Hankey drew criticism from Williams and Cook, as she was trained to be an engineer, not a designer.
Apple insiders believed that Hankey and Ive's close relationship allowed him to continue interfering in the company. Despite being asked to change, Williams was reportedly "afraid" of disrupting things and hesitant to make decisions.
After Ive's consulting contract with Apple ended, Hankey also left the company. This marked the beginning of real chaos, as almost all employees from Ive's era moved to LoveFrom, started their own design companies, or retired.
Hankey and Ive themselves founded an AI startup, which was later acquired by OpenAI for $6.5 billion .
After Hankey left Apple, Williams was tasked with preventing a brain drain. Instead of finding new leadership, he directly managed the design team.
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Tim Cook (left) and Jony Ive. Photo: Reuters . |
According to Bloomberg , Williams was concerned that appointing lower-level staff, or hiring from outside, could exacerbate the wave of resignations. In reality, the situation hasn't changed; in fact, it's accelerating.
At that time, the design department was in a complete crisis. As Williams prepares to retire in 2025, Apple faces a staffing dilemma for its design division.
Richard Howarth is the only remaining veteran designer. However, he has chosen to work remotely from Chicago, only flying to California when necessary. Previously, Howarth himself ran the department from 2015 to 2017, but faced opposition from his subordinates.
Williams decided to choose Molly Anderson, the problem being that she had no prior management experience, even with a small team. According to Gurman, this was a defensive choice because Apple prioritizes stability over finding the best leader in the world .
Looking towards the future
Unlike other departments, Apple's design division lacks a successor. The situation worsened last year when Alan Dye, head of user interface design, left Apple to join Meta. The position is now held by Steve Lemay, although questions remain about his leadership capabilities.
The shortage of qualified personnel has had a clear impact. While products are still regularly updated, the pace of innovation in features and design is slowing down. Until last year, the iPhone's design was virtually identical to what it was half a decade earlier.
Although Anderson was highly regarded for her design work, some staff members felt she lacked the ability to lead major changes.
Other product lines, such as the Apple Watch, AirPods, and Macs, have essentially maintained the same design for the past 10 years, with only a few exceptions like the Apple Watch Ultra or the MacBook Neo. According to Gurman, maintaining such a long design is almost impossible under Jobs and Ive's leadership.
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The Steve Jobs Theater at Apple headquarters. Photo: Bloomberg . |
Of course, a change could come in September when John Ternus takes over as Apple CEO. According to Gurman, Ternus needs to make Apple products more appealing. Instead of focusing on operations or finances, he could prioritize technical aspects, design, and innovation.
"The change will begin with finding a leader capable of revitalizing the design studio. That person needs a real position on the board of directors, empowered to rebuild the organization, connect different departments, and deliver groundbreaking designs that restore lost credibility."
"Finding the right fit for the company culture isn't easy, but don't use that as an excuse to avoid hiring the best people," the Bloomberg writer emphasized.
In a recent meeting with employees, Ternus affirmed that the company "will continue to focus on design," because it is at the core of Apple.
"Apple has delivered more amazing designs than any other company in history. The most beautiful products that most customers own come from Apple. We will ensure that this continues," the new Apple CEO emphasized.
Source: https://znews.vn/dau-an-dau-tien-cua-john-ternus-khi-lam-ceo-apple-post1661999.html
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