Jony Ive reportedly recruiting Apple employees to his own firm

Waitaminute! A new report from The Information says that Jony Ive, Apple’s former head honcho of design, has “recruited” at least four former colleagues to his new firm.

The article says they include: Wan Is, a 16-year Apple veteran; Chris Wilson, a 14-year veteran; Patch Kessler, also a 14-year veteran; and Jeff Tiller, a four-year veteran.

Ive and Apple’s relationship

Apple announced in June 2019 that Ive was departing the company as an employee to form an independent design company called LoveFrom that will count Apple among its clients. While he pursues personal projects, Ive and his new company will reportedly continue to work closely and on a range of projects with Apple, CEO Tim Cook said at the time. 

Hmmm. Working closely AND poaching employees. We’ll see how well that works out.

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.