Jeff Williams has taken control of Apple's industrial design team

Apple has decided to eliminate the role of industrial design chief after Evans Hankey announced her departure from the position, and the team will start reporting to Jeff Williams.

Hankey, the replacement for vice president of industrial design Jony Ives, made the announcement in October that she would leave Apple.

Now, Bloomberg reports that Apple's core group of about 20 industrial designers will report to Jeff Williams, Apple's chief operating officer. The company will also give more prominent roles to a group of Apple's longest-tenured designers.

Hankey had reported to Williams since taking on the industrial design role in 2019, when Jony Ive left to start his own company called LoveFrom. Ive worked for Apple for nearly three decades.

Apple split up its design group even before Ive left, however. As he stepped back from his day-to-day role at the company, the design team was split into industrial design to cover hardware and a separate group to focus on user interfaces in software, which Alan Dye continues to lead.

Apple reportedly had a difficult time in choosing a replacement for Hankey. The company wanted to hire from within instead of choosing someone from the outside.

However, at least 15 of Ive's top design team members have left the company. Many still remain.

The move adds more responsibilities to Jeff Williams, who some have seen as a potential successor to Tim Cook. Williams is in charge of worldwide operations, the supply chain, AppleCare customer care, software engineering for the watch and health initiatives, and now design.

7 Comments

jdw 1422 comments · 18 Years ☠️

About 1 year ago

Jeff Williams has too much on his plate already. So if indeed he does eventually replace Cook and take on more responsibilities, who will replace Williams in the position he has now? This is an important consideration in light of Apple's amazing success under Cook. Butterfly keyboards and bad mouse charging ports be darned, AAPL has done so well under Cook it lights one's pants on fire. Naturally, we all hope their string of successes will continue into the foreseeable future.

cgWerks 2947 comments · 8 Years 🧟

I guess I could apply. I’m pretty good with CAD and wouldn’t do anything as bad as the Butterfly Keyboard. <grin>

FileMakerFeller 1561 comments · 6 Years 🧟

jdw said:

Jeff Williams has too much on his plate already. So if indeed he does eventually replace Cook and take on more responsibilities, who will replace Williams in the position he has now? This is an important consideration in light of Apple's amazing success under Cook. Butterfly keyboards and bad mouse charging ports be darned, AAPL has done so well under Cook it lights one's pants on fire. Naturally, we all hope their string of successes will continue into the foreseeable future.

He might be able to choose which of his responsibilities match to his strengths and delegate the rest.

racerhomie3 1264 comments · 7 Years 🧟

Hankey was not bad for the short time she had as the head. Sad to see her go

genovelle 1481 comments · 16 Years ☠️

jdw said:

Jeff Williams has too much on his plate already. So if indeed he does eventually replace Cook and take on more responsibilities, who will replace Williams in the position he has now? This is an important consideration in light of Apple's amazing success under Cook. Butterfly keyboards and bad mouse charging ports be darned, AAPL has done so well under Cook it lights one's pants on fire. Naturally, we all hope their string of successes will continue into the foreseeable future.

I don’t think this is a permanent move. I think the executive management team wants to be more hands on for now. It gives Williams time to get to really see how the team performs individually and to possibly train someone to take on the roll down the road