Apple Revamps Executive Team Across Global Key Divisions

A major realignment of senior leadership is underway at Apple as a wave of transitions is impacting its AI, design, legal and policy teams.

The moves suggest a wider strategic reorganisation within Apple's executive structure.

The latest announced departure is Lisa Jackson, the Vice President for Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives, who will retire in late January 2026.

Discussing her departure, CEO Tim Cook said: “I am deeply appreciative of Lisa’s contributions. She has been instrumental in helping us reduce our global greenhouse emissions by more than 60% compared to 2015 levels.

“She has been a critical strategic partner in engaging governments around the world, advocating for the best interests of our users on a myriad of topics.”

Restructuring legal and policy leadership

Apple is also preparing for a major transition in its legal department.

Apple has announced that Jennifer Newstead, Meta’s top lawyer, will join as the new General Counsel on 1 March 2026.

She replaces Kate Adams, who has held the position since 2017.

Tim Cook praised Kate, saying she has been “an integral part of Apple for the better part of a decade, having provided critical advice while always advocating on behalf of our customers’ right to privacy”.

The Government Affairs team will transition to Kate until her retirement next year. The responsibility will then be handed to Jennifer.

In a related move, the Environment and Social Initiatives teams will report to Chief Operating Officer Sabih Khan.

Recalibrating AI strategy

Apple’s artificial intelligence division is experiencing its own leadership change.

John Giannandrea, the Senior Vice President for Machine Learning and AI Strategy, is stepping down from his role.

He will move into an advisory position before his planned retirement in the spring of 2026.

To fill the vacancy, Amar Subramanya will become the new Vice President of AI, reporting to Craig Federighi, Apple's Senior Vice President of Software Engineering.

Discussing the transition, Tim Cook said: “We are thankful for the role John played in building and advancing our AI work... We are pleased to welcome Amar to Craig’s leadership team and to bring his extraordinary expertise to Apple.”

This change is prompting a wider reorganisation. The remaining members of John’s former team will move under the leadership of Sabih Khan and Eddy Cue, who oversee operations and services, respectively.

A new direction for design

The design team at Apple has also seen notable departures.

Alan Dye, Head of User Interface Design since 2015, left in December to join Meta.

At Meta, he will lead a new design studio for hardware, software and AI integration. Apple is replacing Alan with designer Stephen Lemay.

In a statement, Tim Cook said Stephen has “played a key role in the design of every major Apple interface since 1999” and has “always set an extraordinarily high bar for excellence”.

Another Senior Designer, Billy Sorrentino, also chose to leave Apple. He shared in a post on LinkedIn that he’s “had the best job in the world for nearly a decade”, mentioning his work on everything from the iPhone camera to the Vision Pro.

Billy has already begun a new role as Vice President of Product Design.

With a new generation of leaders moving into senior positions, Apple is setting the stage for what could be its most substantial executive reshuffle since its Founder, Steve Jobs, led Apple.