Apple's new Chief Hardware Officer Johny Srouji is looking to optimize his hardware teams with a second reorganization. The move is expected to quell some irritation as it speeds up development.
Srouji's new role was announced alongside the news that Tim Cook is to be replaced by John Ternus, and practically immediately, he began reshuffling teams. It was a practical reorganization since he was delegating some of his previous responsibilities, but according to Bloomberg, Srouji has now gone further.
Specifically, he's changed how Apple manages its main product design. That had been the responsibility of Kate Bergeron, but will now pass to two of her deputies.
Bergeron was previously reported to be unhappy with how Ternus was reorganizing Apple's teams, but she's being promoted to overseeing all product reliability. She's replacing Tom Marieb, who in turn has succeeded John Ternus as head of hardware engineering.
At the same time, Bergeron keeps her other role of overseeing the development of materials being used by Apple.
This reorganization of product design is Srouji's most significant change, at least to date. It's said to be part of ensuring that Apple Silicon teams and individual product ones are more integrated than before.
Srouji's other staff changes include Matt Costello moving from home and audio to a new Ecosystems Platforms and Partnerships Team. Costello will now report to Srouji instead of Ternus, as will Kevin Lynch from Apple's robotics team.
Other existing employees are having their responsibilities widened, including silicon engineering group head Sribalan Santhanam who is adding more low-level chip functions. Apple modem leader Zongjian Chen is to take on battery and camera engineering teams, plus sensor software development.
That sensor development role includes Chen taking over Apple's attempts to add noninvasive blood-sugar detection to the Apple Watch.
None of these names are as well known as Johny Srouji, but they have been crucial to the development of Apple's current hardware. Then these moves are happening months ahead of Tim Cook's leaving the role of CEO, which suggests Ternus is probably already running the company in all but name.
