Apple rocked by executive departures, with chip chief at risk of leaving next

Core Insights - Apple Inc. is experiencing significant personnel changes, marking one of the largest executive shake-ups in decades, with key executives and engineers departing the company [1][2][4] Executive Departures - Recent exits include heads of artificial intelligence and interface design, as well as the general counsel and head of governmental affairs, all of whom reported directly to CEO Tim Cook [2][4] - Johny Srouji, senior vice president of hardware technologies, is also considering leaving, which could further impact Apple's chip development efforts [3][19] - The departure of AI chief John Giannandrea follows delays and issues with Apple's AI initiatives, including the Apple Intelligence platform and Siri [7][8] Talent Drain and Competition - Apple is facing a talent drain as engineers are being recruited by competitors like Meta Platforms Inc. and OpenAI, which poses a risk to its AI development efforts [4][25][30] - The company has seen a significant number of AI researchers leave, contributing to low morale within the AI organization [26][30] Leadership Changes and Succession Planning - The recent executive changes are reshaping Apple's leadership structure, with more authority shifting to executives like John Ternus, Eddy Cue, Craig Federighi, and Sabih Khan [21][22] - Cook's potential succession has been a topic of speculation, with Ternus viewed as a frontrunner for the CEO position [16][17] Product Development Challenges - Despite claims of working on innovative products, Apple has not launched a successful new product category in a decade, making it vulnerable to competitors [6][4] - The company is reportedly focusing on future growth areas such as robotics and smart glasses, but faces challenges in retaining talent in these fields [22][27] Legal and Compliance Adjustments - Apple has appointed Jennifer Newstead from Meta as its new general counsel, which may aid in ongoing legal challenges [10][11] - The company is also restructuring its legal team as several long-serving executives retire [12][13]