Three years after promising to work together “long into the future,” Apple and its former head of design, Jony Ive, have parted ways, ending a three-decade run, according to The New York Times.
He and the tech giant have agreed to stop working together, the article adds, quoting two unnamed “people with knowledge of their contractual agreement.” When Ive left Apple in 2019 to start his own design company, LoveFrom, Apple signed a multiyear contact with him valued at more than US$100 million.
In recent weeks, the contract was up for renewal, and both parties agreed not to extend it, according to The Times. The article says that Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer, will continue to oversee the company’s design teams with industrial design being led by Evans Hankey and software design led by Alan Dye.
Ive’s History at Apple
Ive joined Apple in September 1992. After several years of designing the interface aspects of Apple products he was promoted to senior vice president of Industrial Design in the late 1990s. Ive helped design the iMac, iPad, MacBook, and other products.
He also helped design Apple’s major architectural projects, such as Apple Park and Apple Stores.Apple announced in October 2012 that Ive would “provide leadership and direction for Human Interface (HI) across the company in addition to his role as the leader of Industrial Design.
