Apple's chief design officer Jony Ive is leaving the company later this year to form an independent design firm. And Apple will be one of his first primary clients.
While Ive is striking out on his own in a way, he will continue to work with Apple on a variety of the company's projects when he launches his own company, Apple said in a release.
"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," Apple CEO Tim Cook said in the release. Apple's press release website appeared to crash within a half hour of posting the news.
Ive told the Financial Times that he felt the time was right for his departure because he's recently completed some significant projects, including Apple Park, which had its official opening a few weeks ago. He also says he has a "very clear sense about the health and vitality of the design team" at Apple.
"I'm actually looking forward to contributing in a different way to projects we've been working together on for, in some cases, many years," Ive said. "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."
CNN
