Apple says COO Jeff Williams will retire from company later this year

Apple said connected Tuesday that Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams, a 27-year institution veteran, volition beryllium retiring aboriginal this year.

Current operations person Sabih Khan volition instrumentality implicit overmuch of the COO relation aboriginal this month, Apple said successful a press release. For his remaining clip with the comapny, Williams volition proceed to caput up Apple's plan team, Apple Watch, and wellness initiatives, reporting to CEO Tim Cook.

Williams becomes the latest longtime Apple executive to step down arsenic cardinal employees, who were progressive successful the company's hyper-growth years, scope status age. Williams, 62, antecedently headed Apple's formidable operations division, which is successful complaint of manufacturing millions of analyzable devices similar iPhones, portion keeping costs down.

He besides led important teams wrong Apple, including the company's fabled concern plan team, aft longtime person Jony Ive retired successful 2019. When Williams retires, Apple's plan squad volition study to CEO Tim Cook, Apple said.

"He's helped to make 1 of the astir respected planetary proviso chains successful the world; launched Apple Watch and overseen its development; architected Apple's wellness strategy; and led our satellite people squad of designers with large wisdom, heart, and dedication," Cook said successful the statement.

Williams said helium plans to walk much clip with friends and family.

"June marked my 27th day with Apple, and my 40th successful the industry," Williams said successful the release.

Williams is leaving Apple astatine a clip erstwhile its celebrated proviso concatenation is nether important pressure, arsenic the U.S. imposes tariffs connected galore of the countries wherever Apple sources its devices, and White House officials publically pressure Apple to determination much accumulation to the U.S.

Khan was added to Apple's enforcement squad successful 2019, taking an enforcement vice president title. Apple said connected Tuesday that helium volition pb proviso chain, merchandise quality, planning, procurement, and fulfillment astatine Apple.

The operations person joined Apple's procurement radical successful 1995, and earlier that worked arsenic an technologist and method person astatine GE Plastics. He has a bachelor's grade from Tufts University and a master's grade successful mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute successful upstate New York.

Khan has worked intimately with Cook. Once, during a gathering erstwhile Cook said that a manufacturing occupation was "really bad," Khan stood up and drove to the airport, and instantly booked a formation to China to hole it, according to an anecdote published successful Fortune.

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