Apple announced on Tuesday veteran Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams will “transition” out of his role later this month before retiring from the company at the end of 2025. Sabih Khan, the tech giants VP of operations, will replace Williams as COO.
Williams joined Apple in 1998 and was named the company’s COO in 2015, the same year he spearheaded the company’s launch of the Apple Watch.
The 62-year-old Williams has been considered one of the handful of executives who could potentially replace CEO Tim Cook if he ever decided to retire. Instead, Williams will exit the company at the end of the year; he will continue to report to Cook and oversee the company’s design team, Apple Watch, and its Health program until then.
“I am and will always be beyond grateful for his numerous contributions to Apple over the years and his loyal friendship,” Cook said in a statement. “Jeff’s true legacy can be seen in the amazing team he’s created and, while he’ll be greatly missed, he leaves the work of the future in incredible hands.”
The 59-year-old Khan, meanwhile, has been with Apple for three decades. He was named VP of operations in 2019, a position in which he oversaw the production of about 230 million iPhones last year. Khan has faced a new challenge this year, as President Trump’s “Liberation Day” plan in April made Apple shift more of its iPhone production to India, while also accelerating how fast the company imported iPhones to avoid tariffs.
Apple’s stock price was rocked by the tariff announcement, dropping from $223 per share to $172 per share in early April — equal to about $1 trillion being slashed from its market cap. The company’s stock price has rebounded since then, closing Tuesday at $210 per share.
Williams said he now plans on spending more time with his friends and family, once he exits Apple.
“I’ve had the pleasure of working closely with Sabih for 27 years and I think he’s the most talented operations executive on the planet,” Williams said. “I have tremendous confidence in Apple’s future under his leadership in this role.”
