Apple today removed Jony Ive from its leadership page on its website, suggesting that he has officially departed the company after nearly three decades. The change was spotted by French blog MacGeneration.
Ive led Apple's design team since 1996. Promoted to Chief Design Officer in 2015, he had been responsible for all design at Apple, including the look and feel of Apple products like the iPhone, Mac, and Apple Watch, packaging, and major architectural projects such as Apple Park and Apple Stores.
In June, Apple announced that Ive would depart the company as an employee later this year to form an independent design company named LoveFrom with his designer friend Marc Newson. Apple said it will remain one of Ive's primary clients.
"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," said Apple CEO Tim Cook in June.
Apple said its operations chief Jeff Williams will "spend more of his time" working with the company's design team in their studio. Evans Hankey and Alan Dye, vice presidents of Industrial Design and Human Interface design at Apple, respectively, will now report to Williams as part of the transition.
