Key Takeaways
Apple Inc. is restructuring its hardware engineering and product design leadership under new hardware chief Johny Srouji, a move aimed at accelerating the development of future devices by more tightly integrating the company’s world-class silicon and product teams.
The changes, reported by Bloomberg, are designed to “speed up work on future devices” and better integrate the teams working on in-house silicon with those creating the final products, according to people familiar with the matter. The move comes as John Ternus prepares to take over as CEO on September 1.
In the most significant shift, Srouji is changing the management of product design engineering, the group responsible for translating concepts from the industrial design team into manufacturable products. The responsibility, previously held by veteran Vice President Kate Bergeron, will now be split between two of her longtime deputies: Shelly Goldberg, who already oversees Mac product design, and Dave Pakula, who has led engineering for the Apple Watch, iPad, and AirPods. Richard Dinh, a deputy of incoming CEO Ternus, will continue to lead product design for the iPhone.
This reorganization is critical for Apple as it faces criticism for falling behind competitors like Google and Samsung in emerging categories like AI-powered devices and smart glasses. By placing the “father of Apple Silicon” in charge of all hardware, the company aims to shorten its lengthy development cycles for a rumored pipeline of at least five new product categories, including smart home cameras, robotics, and smart glasses.
Under the new structure, Bergeron will move into a new role overseeing product reliability across all Apple devices, a position previously held by Tom Marieb, who has succeeded Ternus as head of hardware engineering. Srouji is also creating a new “Ecosystems, Platforms, and Partnerships” team to be led by Matt Costello and Kevin Lynch, who will continue to oversee Apple's robotics initiatives.
The reorganization extends deep into the silicon division. Sribalan Santhanam, head of silicon engineering, will now also manage Apple's chip teams in Israel and groups focused on chip packaging and analog mixed-signal technologies. Zongjian Chen, who leads the Advanced Technologies Group, will gain oversight of sensor software, prototyping, and the battery, camera, and display engineering teams. This consolidation brings more of the key component engineering groups under a single leader, streamlining collaboration.
The move to place Srouji—who joined Apple in 2008 to lead the development of its first in-house chip, the A4—in charge of all hardware signals a deeper commitment to a strategy that has already proven successful. The tight integration of hardware and software, powered by custom Apple silicon, has given products like the iPhone and Mac a significant performance and efficiency advantage. By applying this integrated model more broadly and earlier in the development process, Apple is positioning itself to bring its next wave of products to market faster and with a greater competitive edge.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment advice.
