Jeff Williams retires as Apple's COO after a decade-long run
What's the story
Jeff Williams, Apple's Chief Operating Officer (COO), has officially retired from the company. His retirement was announced last July with an expectation of him stepping down "late in the year." According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Williams clocked out for the last time today. He had been overseeing Apple's operations for a decade and had already stepped down as de facto COO earlier this year.
Succession plan
Sabih Khan takes over Williams's responsibilities
After Williams's departure, Sabih Khan, Apple's Senior Vice President of Operations, took over the role of COO, but some specific responsibilities were assigned to other executives. Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, had praised Williams for his immense contributions to the company. He said that "Apple wouldn't be what it is without him," adding that Jeff helped create one of the most respected global supply chains in the world and launched Apple Watch.
Role overview
Williams's diverse responsibilities at Apple
Apart from being Apple's COO, Williams also oversaw customer service and support, the design team, software and hardware engineering for Apple Watch, and the company's health initiatives. Recently, Bloomberg reported that some of his responsibilities would be divided among other senior vice presidents at Apple. The health and fitness teams will now report to Eddy Cue, Senior Vice President of Services.
Future prospects
Leadership transition marks a new era for Apple
The leadership transition with Williams's retirement marks the beginning of a larger shift in Apple's hierarchy. Several executives are expected to retire soon, including Tim Cook himself. John Ternus, Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering, is currently the frontrunner for Apple's next CEO position. However, there is no official word on when this transition might happen.