Apple says COO Jeff Williams will retire from company later this year
Key Takeaways
Apple said Jeff Williams, the company's COO, will take on a new role overseeing the company's design team along with the Apple Watch and health initiatives.
Article Overview
Quick insights and key information
3 min read
Estimated completion
investment
Article classification
July 8, 2025
10:50 PM
CNBC
Original publisher
Apple said Jeff Williams, the company's operating chief, will be stepping down from that role later this month
Sabih Khan, senior vice president of operations, will be taking the COO role as "part of along-planned succession," Apple said
Williams will continue reporting to CEO Tim Cook, while overseeing the design team as well as the Apple Watch and health initiatives
In this articleAAPL your favorite stocksCREATE FREE ACCOUNTJeff Williams, chief operating officer of Apple Inc. , during the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) at Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California, US, on Monday, June 9, 2025
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesApple said on Tuesday that Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams, a 27-year company veteran, will be retiring later this year
Current operations leader Sabih Khan will take over much of the COO role later this month, Apple said in a press release
For his remaining time with the company, Williams will continue to head up Apple's design team, Apple Watch, and health initiatives, reporting to CEO Tim Cook
Williams becomes the longtime Apple executive to step down as key employees, who were active in the company's hyper-growth years, reach retirement age
Williams, 62, previously headed Apple's formidable operations division, which is in charge of manufacturing millions of complicated devices iPhones, while keeping costs down
He also led important teams inside Apple, including the company's fabled industrial design team, after longtime leader Jony Ive retired in 2019
When Williams retires, Apple's design team will report to CEO Tim Cook, Apple said. "He's helped to create one of the most respected global supply chains in the world; launched Apple Watch and overseen its development; architected Apple's health strategy; and led our world class team of designers with great wisdom, heart, and dedication," Cook said in the statement
Williams said he plans to spend more time with friends and family. "June marked my 27th anniversary with Apple, and my 40th in the industry," Williams said in the release
Williams is leaving Apple at a time when its famous supply chain is under significant pressure, as the U
Imposes tariffs on many of the countries where Apple sources its devices, and White House officials publicly pressure Apple to move more duction to the U
Khan was added to Apple's executive team in 2019, taking an senior vice president title
Apple said on Tuesday that he will lead supply chain, duct quality, planning, curement, and fulfillment at Apple
The operations leader joined Apple's curement group in 1995, and before that worked as an engineer and nical leader at GE Plastics
He has a bachelor's degree from Tufts University and a master's degree in mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polynic Institute in upstate New York
Khan has worked closely with Cook
Once, during a meeting when Cook said that a manufacturing blem was "really bad," Khan stood up and drove to the airport, and immediately booked a flight to China to fix it, according to an anecdote published in Fortune
WATCH: Jefferies upgrades Applewatch now3:4003:40Jefferies upgrades Apple to 'Hold'Fast Money.
Related Articles
More insights from FinancialBooklet