Apple's Tim Cook calls claims he fell out with Jony Ive 'absurd'
The company's chief executive appeared compelled to rebut claims the company was prioritising operations at the expense of design.
Tuesday 2 July 2019 11:07, UK
Apple's chief executive Tim Cook has criticised a report which claimed his deteriorating relationship with the company's chief design officer prompted the latter to leave the company.
Sir Jonathan Ive - the British man who designed the iPhone, iPod and Mac - announced last week that he was leaving Apple after nearly three decades at the company, saying it was a "natural" time to go.
However a report in The Wall Street Journal suggested that Sir Jony had become "dispirited" at the company due to Mr Cook's lack of interest in product design.
But in a scathing email to NBC's Dylan Byers, Mr Cook dismissed the claims as "absurd" and stated "the conclusions [of the WSJ report] just don't match with reality".
"The design team is phenomenally talented," wrote the chief executive.
"As Jony has said, they're stronger than ever, and I have complete confidence that they will thrive under Jeff, Evans and Alan's leadership," he wrote of Sir Jony's successors.
"We know the truth and we know the incredible things they're capable of doing. The projects they're working on will blow you away."
NBC's Dylan Byers reported that Mr Cook, who replaced Steve Jobs as Apple's chief executive after Jobs died, appeared compelled to publicly rebut claims the company was prioritising operations at the expense of design.
Announcing his departure from Apple, Sir Jony told the Financial Times: "While I will not be an employee, I will still be very involved - I hope for many, many years to come.
"This just seems like a natural and gentle time to make this change."
According to the FT, Sir Jony's new venture LoveFrom will launch fully in 2020 and he will continue to work on wearable technology and healthcare, which are among Apple's strategic priorities.
"There are products that we have been working on for a number of years," he said, of his ongoing work at Apple.
"I'm beyond excited that I get to continue working on those, and there are some new projects as well that I'll get to develop and contribute to."
Sir Jony was a close creative collaborator with co-founder Steve Jobs and his designs helped fuel Apple's rise to a $1trn company.
Mr Cook described Sir Jony's designs as "groundbreaking".
"Jony is a singular figure in the design world and his role in Apple's revival cannot be overstated, from 1998's groundbreaking iMac to the iPhone and the unprecedented ambition of Apple Park, where recently he has been putting so much of his energy and care," he said.
"Apple will continue to benefit from Jony's talents by working directly with him on exclusive projects, and through the ongoing work of the brilliant and passionate design team he has built.
"After so many years working closely together, I'm happy that our relationship continues to evolve and I look forward to working with Jony long into the future."
Originally from Chingford in northeast London, Sir Jony studied design at Newcastle Polytechnic - now Northumbria University - and founded his own design company called Tangerine before being recruited by Apple in 1992.
He was knighted in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace in 2012.