Apple’s talent exodus complicates Cook’s eventual exit
The flurry of talent leaving the company should cause investors some alarm
AS MANY of us know, it’s really hard to ditch Apple. Unless you’re one of its executives.
On Wednesday afternoon, Bloomberg broke the news that Meta Platforms had poached Apple design executive Alan Dye to head up a new design studio it hopes will improve Meta’s hardware and AI game. Dye’s departure comes after the exit earlier this week of the company’s head of artificial intelligence, John Giannandrea, and the retirement of Jeff Williams, Apple’s longtime chief operating officer, which was announced last month.
As Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman notes in his reporting, the turnover is expected to continue and go to the very top: chief executive officer Tim Cook is nearing retirement age and reportedly laying the groundwork for an orderly departure. Speculation of who will be next in line is intensifying.
Such gyrations can provoke exits at any company. As Jeff Bezos prepared to step down as CEO of Amazon.com, there were similar moves from his lieutenants. A change in leadership can be seen as an ideal time to retire or, for younger executives, a chance to take a prominent role elsewhere rather than risk not being in favour with a new leader looking to impose a personal stamp.
Still, the flurry of talent leaving the company should cause investors some alarm. Throughout this year, as it missed its own targets on rolling out AI features to its devices, Apple was largely given a free pass – sales were still high, with consumers not appearing tempted to switch makers.
The company’s stock is up 13.5 per cent for the year. But if 2025 was the “benefit of the doubt” year for Apple, 2026 is the deadline for its Plan B. A failure to successfully launch interesting and useful AI tools would cast an extremely dark shadow over the company’s long-term prospects.
Some of the departures have been related this struggle, though it hasn’t all been one-way traffic. AI boss Giannandrea’s exit was buttressed by the news that former Google engineering vice-president Amar Subramanya would be joining Apple. Subramanya’s background includes extensive work on Google’s Gemini AI model, which is reportedly set to provide the brains behind an improved Siri.
But the mood in Cupertino is one of key people jumping ship. The volume and timing of the talent departures make Cook’s exit even more delicate. Apple is second only to the Vatican when it comes to its desire to carefully orchestrate leadership transitions. It last did it 14 years ago under much different circumstances.
In tech, the most effective time to depart is when one innovation cycle winds down in preparation of the next. Thanks to his failure to see the coming AI freight train, Cook has missed that window. If 2026 is indeed the year he steps aside, he will likely be doing so when Apple is weakened.
SEE ALSO
Within all this, Dye’s departure holds particular symbolism. Part of his role involved ensuring that Apple’s devices maintained a consistent style and feel across the entire ecosystem, whether customers were strapping on a Vision Pro headset or scrolling on an iPhone.
Behind the scenes, Apple has long operated in much the same way: a strict shared ethos for development, design and marketing that has stood it in remarkable stead for decades. In the scramble to meet the AI moment, too many new faces could put that legendary cohesion at risk. BLOOMBERG
Decoding Asia newsletter: your guide to navigating Asia in a new global order. Sign up here to get Decoding Asia newsletter. Delivered to your inbox. Free.
Share with us your feedback on BT's products and services
