Two senior Apple execs are stepping down, adding fuel to the company's big-change rumors
With key departures lined up for 2026, Apple may be preparing for strategic changes that reach far beyond leadership.
Some big changes have been going on at Apple with the restructuring of its executives recently. Now, the Cupertino tech giant is announcing that two senior Apple executives will be retiring next year.
The company announces that its Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Kate Adams, and its Vice President of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives, Lisa Jackson, will both be retiring in 2026.
Apple is going to replace Adams with Jennifer Newstead. Newstead will join Apple on January 1 as senior vice president and will become Cupertino's general counsel on March 1, 2026. Right now, Nestead is Meta's chief legal officer, while previously she worked as the Legal Adviser to the United States Department of State.
Meanwhile, Adams will not immediately leave when Newstead starts. She will oversee the organization after Jackson's retirement, towards the end of January 2026. Adams is said to stay at Appe until late 2026.
In a statement, Tim Cook said that he is happy to merge Legal and Government Affairs at Apple, as there is increasing overlap between these two teams.
Meanwhile, Tim Cook also underlines Apple's appreciation of Jackson's help in achieving its environmental goals. Jackson's role will be taken over by COO Sabih Khan. Cook also said that Jackson helped Apple reduce its greenhouse emissions (globally) by more than 60% in comparison to the 2015 levels.
That's not the first change that's been talked about in Apple's exec team recently. Another key figure, Alan Dye, who was the lead interface designer at the company, recently left. Then, there's AI chief John Giannandrea's retirement as well. We all know the story with Apple's context-aware Siri and the delays and broken promises that the story was full of, and that may have played a role in that decision, or it may have not.
In my opinion, all these leadership changes at Apple make it feel like the company is entering a new chapter. When long-time executives start stepping aside one after another, it usually means big plans are coming – new strategies, new priorities, and maybe even a new style of leadership.
At the same time, it's a little strange to see so many familiar names leaving around the same period. It gives the feeling that Apple is preparing for something major behind the scenes.
As for smartphones, things have been changing as well. Apple is rumored to announce its first foldable iPhone in 2026. Also, the strategy for iPhone releases is also rumored to change, with only the Pro models coming in the fall, while the 'vanilla' iPhone 18 is rumored for a spring 2027 release.
Whether all of that's exciting or worrying depends on how you see it, but one thing's clear: Apple in 2026 might look very different from the Apple we know today.
Two senior Apple execs retiring in 2026
The company announces that its Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Kate Adams, and its Vice President of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives, Lisa Jackson, will both be retiring in 2026.
In a statement, Tim Cook said that he is happy to merge Legal and Government Affairs at Apple, as there is increasing overlap between these two teams.
We couldn't be more pleased to have Jennifer join our team. She brings an extraordinary depth of experience and skill to the role, and will advance Apple's important work all over the world. We are also pleased that Jennifer will be overseeing both the Legal and Government Affairs organizations, given the increasing overlap between the work of both teams and her substantial background in international affairs. I know she will be an excellent leader going forward.
Tim Cook
Adams has worked for Apple since 2017, while Jackson joined the Cupertino tech giant in 2013.
A lot of restructuring going on
That's not the first change that's been talked about in Apple's exec team recently. Another key figure, Alan Dye, who was the lead interface designer at the company, recently left. Then, there's AI chief John Giannandrea's retirement as well. We all know the story with Apple's context-aware Siri and the delays and broken promises that the story was full of, and that may have played a role in that decision, or it may have not.
In the summer of this year, COO Jeff Williams retired, while CFO Luca Maestri stepped down from his position at the beginning of 2025.
Meanwhile, there are rumors that Tim Cook himself may be retiring from Apple, but that's not been officially announced. Rumor has it that Tim Cook may be preparing to leave his role at Apple in 2026, potentially. We still don't have concrete evidence on that, though, and rumors can only speculate who will take his position if that happens to be the case.
However, Gurman has contradicted that rumor, claiming that Tim Cook has no plans of leaving the company in the near future. We'll see if that's true.
Two major Apple leaders are stepping down – and the company is clearly gearing up for a big shift
In my opinion, all these leadership changes at Apple make it feel like the company is entering a new chapter. When long-time executives start stepping aside one after another, it usually means big plans are coming – new strategies, new priorities, and maybe even a new style of leadership.
As for smartphones, things have been changing as well. Apple is rumored to announce its first foldable iPhone in 2026. Also, the strategy for iPhone releases is also rumored to change, with only the Pro models coming in the fall, while the 'vanilla' iPhone 18 is rumored for a spring 2027 release.
Whether all of that's exciting or worrying depends on how you see it, but one thing's clear: Apple in 2026 might look very different from the Apple we know today.
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