Apple’s design organization could regain a more influential role under incoming CEO John Ternus, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The report says Ternus is expected to rebuild the team’s standing after years of leadership changes, talent departures, and a diminished role within Apple’s executive structure.
For years, Apple’s industrial design studio was regarded as the driving force behind many of the company’s biggest innovations. During the Steve Jobs and Jony Ive era, the team played a central role in shaping products such as the iMac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad. Designers worked closely with engineering, marketing, and executive leadership, with product design serving as the foundation for many of Apple’s key decisions.
How Apple’s design organization changed
According to Gurman, the shift began after Ive stepped back from day-to-day management in 2015 before leaving Apple in 2019 to establish LoveFrom. While Apple initially maintained continuity under Evans Hankey, the influence of the design organization gradually declined as the company’s leadership structure evolved.
Unlike Ive, Hankey was not given a seat on Apple’s executive leadership team. Instead, she reported to then-Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams, reflecting a broader shift in how Apple managed its design operations. Gurman says this marked a departure from the company’s earlier approach, where design played a central role in shaping products and strategic decisions.
After Hankey left Apple, Williams took direct oversight of the industrial design team instead of appointing a new design chief. According to the report, the move was intended to maintain stability, but Apple continued to lose experienced designers over the following years, further weakening the organization’s leadership.
Leadership changes and talent departures
Gurman says Apple’s design organization has been weakened by years of leadership changes and the departure of veteran designers. Many members of the Jony Ive era joined LoveFrom, started their own ventures, moved to other technology companies, or retired. While morale has reportedly improved, the company now has fewer experienced design leaders and a weaker succession pipeline than it once did.
The report highlights the following leadership changes:
- The industrial design team no longer has direct representation at Apple’s executive leadership level.
- Evans Hankey left Apple after succeeding Jony Ive, while Jeff Williams temporarily oversaw the industrial design organization.
- Molly Anderson now leads Apple’s industrial design team.
- Steve Lemay oversees Apple’s software design organization following Alan Dye’s departure for Meta.
- Several software designers also reportedly left the company alongside Dye.
Slower pace of design innovation
Gurman believes the changes within Apple’s design organization have also been reflected in its products. Although Apple continues to refresh its hardware lineup regularly, major industrial redesigns have become less frequent.
He notes that product categories such as the Apple Watch, AirPods, and Mac have largely retained similar designs for nearly a decade, aside from a few notable exceptions, a pace of change that would have been uncommon during the Steve Jobs and Jony Ive era.
Design revival under Ternus
As Apple prepares for its leadership transition, Gurman believes John Ternus is well positioned to strengthen the company’s design culture. The report says he is expected to restore the design team’s influence, rebuild its leadership, appoint a senior design executive, and improve collaboration across design, engineering, and other product teams, while also placing greater emphasis on product engineering, design, and innovation in Apple’s next phase.
Ternus reaffirms Apple’s commitment to design
During a recent internal meeting, Ternus emphasized that design will remain central to Apple’s identity.
We’re going to keep focusing on design, because design is core to what we do at Apple.
He also said Apple has brought “truly incredible design to more people than any company in history,” adding that the company intends to ensure its products continue to set high standards for design in the years ahead.
If Gurman’s assessment proves accurate, rebuilding Apple’s design organization could become one of Ternus’ earliest priorities as CEO, signaling a renewed focus on the design-first philosophy that helped define many of Apple’s most iconic products.