Apple is making a high-level leadership change that could significantly shape its future behind the scenes. The company has announced that longtime executive Jeff Williams will step down from his role as Chief Operating Officer later this month. His successor will be Sabih Khan, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Operations and a key player in the company’s global supply chain strategy.
Williams isn’t leaving Apple entirely just yet. He’ll continue working closely with CEO Tim Cook for the rest of the year, overseeing Apple Watch and health initiatives, as well as leading the company’s industrial design team until his retirement. After that, Apple’s design team will report directly to Cook.
Khan’s promotion is part of what Apple describes as a long-planned transition. Cook praised Khan as a “brilliant strategist” who helped Apple reduce its carbon footprint by over 60 percent, expand domestic manufacturing, and remain agile during global supply chain challenges. Khan has been with Apple for 30 years and took on a more prominent executive role in 2019. He has quietly helped the company build one of the most influential supply chains in the world.
Williams, who marked 27 years with Apple and 40 in the tech industry this summer, has had his fingerprints on some of the company’s most iconic products. He was heavily involved in the development of the iPod, iPhone, and Apple Watch. More recently, he guided Apple’s push into health tracking, which has helped turn Apple Watch into more than just a notification machine.
In a farewell statement, Williams said, “I plan to spend more time with friends and family, including five grandchildren and counting.” He also gave Khan high praise, calling him “the most talented operations executive on the planet.”
Before joining Apple in 1995, Khan worked at GE Plastics. He holds dual bachelor’s degrees in economics and mechanical engineering from Tufts University, plus a master’s in mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
This change may not shift Apple’s public-facing image overnight, but it marks a quiet generational handoff for the team responsible for keeping iPhones, Macs, and other Apple hardware rolling off production lines at staggering scale. It also tightens Cook’s direct control over Apple’s vaunted design group as the company shifts into its Vision Pro era and prepares for a future with tighter integration across hardware and services.
