Why Did Jony Ive Leave Apple? (9 Reasons Why)

At one time, there was a man that worked at Apple named Jony Ive, who was the design chief for Apple for many years, and eventually stepped down. So, you may be wondering: why did Jony Ive leave Apple?

Well, I have been looking into this question and have found several reasons for his departure, so keep reading to learn all about why Jony Ive left Apple! 

Why Did Jony Ive Leave Apple in 2024? 

Jony Ive left Apple due to several reasons, including becoming overwhelmed by the large staff he had to manage and because he had been fighting with colleagues. Additionally, Ive had become burned out on working tirelessly for decades next to Steve Jobs on products including the Mac and iPhone. Therefore, Jony Ive isn’t at Apple in 2024.

Do you want to know more reasons behind Jony Ive’s decision to leave Apple? If so, continue reading to find out even more about his decision! 

1. Overwhelmed by the Large Staff 

One of the biggest reasons that Jony Ive left Apple was because he had become overwhelmed by the large staff he had to manage, which was well into the hundreds. 

In contrast, for many years, Ive ran a small design team that consisted of 20 or 30 people. So, the fact he had to manage 10 times that amount was overwhelming for him. 

2. He Had Fights With Colleagues 

Ive had plenty of design fights over the years with colleagues, but the fight over the Apple Watch seemed to be the last straw for Ive, who wanted a huge product reveal costing millions.

Furthermore, colleagues were fighting with him over the cost and extravagance of the event, even though Ive had been with the company for decades and had a great vision. 

Therefore, when colleagues seemed to question his approach and vision, it seemed to become the defining moment for Ive and his place within the company. 

3. Ive Was With Apple for Decades & Felt Burned Out 

It’s not surprising that Ive would leave Apple at some point; he had been with the company for decades and worked right alongside Steve Jobs. 

Consequently, years of stress, long hours, being overworked, tired, and just simply not feeling like he was being valued at the company left him with a huge case of fatigue and burnout. 

4. Apple Was No Longer Design Focused 

Ive left Apple because he was frustrated that Apple was no longer design focused and had turned its attention towards just revamping products it already had made. 

Overall, Ive felt like his role as a designer wasn’t appreciated or utilized, since Apple appeared to lack the focus to design new products and push the envelope. 

5. No Attention From Tim Cook 

Ive also wasn’t happy that Tim Cook wasn’t giving him attention, and he lacked the personal contact with him that he had with Steve Jobs. 

For example, when Ive worked with Steve Jobs, Jobs would visit Ive at the studio and talk to him about designs for products and potential issues, and exchange ideas.

However, Cook didn’t do that. 

Jobs had a vision, and Ive was able to put that vision in physical form and bring it to life, whereas Cook seemed disinterested in design and hardly ever visited Ive at the studio. 

6. Ive Began Working Differently & Became Disinterested 

Cook allowed Ive to have fewer responsibilities and put him into the role of chief design officer.

However, Ive started working differently at this point, where he wouldn’t judge a design for weeks at a time. 

In contrast, Ive used to have daily product reviews to work on, but as he felt more frustrated, he began working differently and showing less interest in reviews. 

7. Ive Didn’t Like Corporate Bloat 

There was a lot of corporate bloat at Apple after Steve Jobs died, and Ive wasn’t happy with this, which left him feeling more alone and more frustrated with the direction Apple was going. 

8. Apple Shifted to Services 

Apple hasn’t come out with a new product in several years and instead has just revamped and improved upon its existing products, which in part was due to Apple shifting to services. 

However, this shift in services was something Ive wasn’t happy about, since he was a visionary and designer, and he wanted Apple to continue designing new and innovative products. 

9. Ive Felt Tim Cook Ran Apple in an Egalitarian Structure 

Ive was not a fan of Tim Cook, feeling that Cook ran Apple with an Egalitarian structure in mind, which wasn’t how Ive felt Apple should be run since it wasn’t how Jobs approached it.

To know more, you can also read our posts on Apple News, Nike Apple Watch, and Apple Care.

Conclusion

Jony Ive left Apple because he grew frustrated with the company moving away from making new products and changing the world to offering services. 

In addition, Ive had gotten into fights with colleagues over promotions and marketing for products, with the Apple Watch being a major issue for Ive, so he felt his vision wasn’t being utilized.