Apple’s head of hardware design, Evans Hankey, is leaving the company after only three years in the vital role.
Hankey took the role in 2019, replacing Jony Ive, who had been the company’s design chief since 1997, when Steve Jobs returned to the company and appointed Ive to the post.
Jony Ive was responsible of driving the design of some of the company’s most iconic products, including the iPod, iPhone, iPad, and the translucent iMac G3.
Ive’s departure was a huge deal to the company. Even after he left Apple in 2019, to form his own design company LoveFrom, he retained Apple as his biggest client.
Hankey worked under Ive for many years before replacing him.
“Apple’s design team brings together expert creatives from around the world and across many disciplines to imagine products that are undeniably Apple,” a spokesman said in a statement.
Evans has indicated she will stay with the company for six months while a replacement is sought.
“The senior design team has strong leaders with decades of experience. Evans plans to stay on as we work through the transition, and we’d like to thank her for her leadership and contributions,” Apple said.
Hankey oversees “several dozen” industrial designers. No replacement has been named.
This marks the first time that Apple hasn’t had a de facto design leader since the 1990s.
