Apple's Legendary Chief Design Officer Jony Ive No Longer Appears On The Company's Leadership Page Ive announced his planned departure back in June, and now it appears to have taken place.
By Justin Herrick •
This story originally appeared on PCMag
Jony Ive isn't an Apple employee anymore. His departure has taken effect, according to The Verge, after confirming several months ago that he planned to step down as Chief Design Officer. Now, Ive will operate an independent design firm with Apple remaining by his side as a client.
He disappeared from Apple's leadership page, which lists executive profiles for top-ranking employees. Ive spent more than 27 years with the Cupertino-based company. Joining in 1992, Ive served as a product designer and took over as Senior Vice President of Industrial Design in 1997. Apple assembled the role of Chief Design Officer for Ive in 2015. He's been responsible for the iconic designs found on the iPhone, iPad, iPod, MacBook, and more.
Still, Apple isn't completely losing access to Ive and his genius. Both sides confirmed they'll collaborate on future products. LoveFrom, Ive's new design firm, will source clients across all industries.
"Jony is a singular figure in the design world and his role in Apple's revival cannot be overstated, from 1998's groundbreaking iMac to the iPhone and the unprecedented ambition of Apple Park, where recently he has been putting so much of his energy and care," Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement earlier this year. "Apple will continue to benefit from Jony's talents by working directly with him on exclusive projects, and through the ongoing work of the brilliant and passionate design team he has built."
On his own, Ive could implement his vision as well as self-owned patents. Reports suggest Ive owns more than 5,000 patents.
We'll need to wait and see exactly what LoveFrom does, but there should certainly be an influence on the next iPhone and other products Apple has in the pipeline. Ive essentially built Apple's design language from scratch, and of course, the company wants to remain consistent with that for the next couple of years. LoveFrom could also take on additional clients in the consumer technology space.
