Apple COO Jeff Williams: Tim Cook's right-hand man retires
He was known as “Tim Cook's Tim Cook”: Jeff Williams, who has been with Apple since 1998, will leave Apple at the end of the year.
Jeff Williams at an Apple Watch presentation.
(Image: Screenshot Apple)
Following the partial retirement of CFO Luca Maestri last year, Apple is now facing the next major shake-up in top management: Jeff Williams, Chief Operating Officer (COO) and right-hand man to Group CEO Tim Cook, is throwing in the towel. According to Apple, there will now be a “transition” until the end of the year, during which Sabih Khan will take over the position. Like Williams, Khan has been with Apple for a very long time: 30 years in total. Williams himself joined the iPhone company in 1998 and was appointed COO by Cook in 2015. This made him responsible for the implementation of day-to-day business, including production processes at the manufacturers, a kind of “Tim Cook's Tim Cook”. At the same time, Williams was also responsible for the health initiatives for the Apple Watch and regularly presented these in Apple's keynotes. Finally, Williams was also the top supervisor of Apple's design team from 2023, a hugely important role after the company no longer had its head of design.
COO retires step by step –
The COO was born in 1963, so he is currently over 60 (born in 1963). However, this means nothing at Apple: Cook himself is 64 and currently has no plans to leave his post. Interestingly, Khan is also not much younger than Williams: he was born in 1963. Apple boss Cook had some warm words for Williams when announcing the transition from COO to COO: “Apple would not be what it is today without him.” The COO had succeeded in building “one of the most respected global supply chains in the world,” orchestrated Apple's health initiatives, launched the Apple Watch, and oversaw its development.
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“He also led our world-class team of designers with great wisdom, heart, and dedication.” He will “always be more than grateful” for his many contributions to Apple's success over the years – “and his loyal friendship”. Above all, Williams' legacy is his great team. “We will miss him enormously, but he leaves the work of the future in wonderful hands.”
Transition starting next month
What Williams' retirement means for Apple is still unclear. The manager himself stated that he had been with Apple for 27 years in June and 40 years in the industry in total. Next year, he now wants to spend “more time with friends and family,” including his five grandchildren. He has worked with successor Khan for 27 years and believes he is “the most talented operations executive on the planet.”
The transition phase is due to begin next month. Among other things, Khan himself introduced new production processes and strengthened Apple's climate protection measures. He now has an important role to play: in switching production from China to India, for example, and in setting up expanded production in the USA, which President Donald Trump has long been calling for. However, Apple has not yet confirmed whether this will actually happen. It is also not certain how long Khan will remain in his post; he could also retire in the foreseeable future.
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