Jony Ive is a reliable designer figure who designs many Apple products. But Ive resigned from Apple in 2019. This is the main cause.
Before resigning, Ive had worked for nearly three decades and was a confidant of the late Steve Jobs. His resignation is somewhat surprising, which occurred due to changes in work culture at Apple.
This is revealed in the book After Steve: How Apple Became a Trillion Dollar Company and Lost its Soul by Tripp Mickle, a journalist for The New York Times.
In the article based on the book, Ive is said to have resigned after years of frustration after Steve Jobs died, and Tim Cook became CEO of Apple. He was frustrated to see Apple turning into a design-centric company into a utilitarian product.
Ive was close to the late Jobs, who was focused on product design and frequented Apple's design studios. While Cook is said to be not very interested in design and rarely comes to Apple's design studio.
Then the problem was with the Apple Watch, one of Apple's successful products. Products that initially focused on fashion turned into products that focused on health. The change in focus caused Ive to complain to Cook, where he admitted he was tired and wanted to resign.
Another factor that exhausted Ive was arguing with coworkers over promotions and overseeing hundreds of staff. Even though he was used to a small designer team, about 20 people.
However, fearing that Ive's resignation would have a negative impact on Apple's stock price, Cook was forced to give Ive a new position, with less responsibility, namely Chief Design Officer.
This new position reduces Ive's workload drastically. From previously judging product designs almost daily, to not judging anything for several weeks.
On the other hand, Cook continues to make changes at Apple. Including recruiting James Bell, former Boeing financial director. Ive disapproved of the hiring, calling Bell just an ordinary accountant.
In the end Ive resigned in June 2019, and in his farewell, Ive praised the design team and asked them to maintain the Apple identity. He also confirmed that he would continue to work as a consultant for Apple through his design company called LoveFrom.
When he resigned, Ive received a very large severance pay like a CEO, with a value of more than USD 100 million.
Jony Ive may not like Tim Cook because he doesn't pay much attention to design. But under Cook's leadership, Apple turned into the world's highest-valued company, with revenue growth continuing to accelerate.