Apple Ends Consulting Agreement With Jony Ive, Its Former Design Leader

Tim Cook reassured customers that Jony Ive would work for the company for a long time after he left.

It's no longer possible.

According to two people with knowledge of the contract, Mr. Ive and Apple have agreed to stop working together, ending a three-decade run during which the designer helped define every corner of an iPhone and guided development of its only new product category in recent years.

Apple signed a multiyear contract with Mr. Ive when he left the company to start his own company. People with knowledge of the agreement say that Apple was his firm's main client.

The contract came up for renewal recently and the parties decided not to extend it. Ive and had grown frustrated after several of its designers left to join Mr. These people said that Mr. Ive wanted the freedom to take on clients.

Mr. Ive didn't want to comment. Apple didn't say anything.

More than a dozen people who worked closely with Mr. Ive said that Mr. Cook made the company focus more on operations than on design. As Mr. Cook focused on selling more software and services, the designer became a part-time employee.

The news coverage of Mr. Ive was calledabsurd by Mr. Cook.

Even as some analysts have chided it for the lull in its introduction of revolutionary devices, Mr. Cook's strategy has been vindicated by investors who have added 1.5 trillion to Apple's market valuation in just over 2 years.

Industrial design will be led by Evans Hankey, while software design will be led by Alan Dye. The senior vice president of marketing at Apple is the leader of the product marketing team.

Mr. Ive will continue his work with the sustainable markets initiative.

Mr. Ive was born and raised outside London. The iMac was designed by Mr. Ive and his team when the company was on the verge of financial ruin. The computer was the fastest selling desktop in history. Mr. Ive became Mr. Jobs's closest associate.

Mr Jobs said that he was not just a designer. He has more power than any other person at Apple.

Mr. Ive was behind the creation of the iPod and supported the creation of the iPhone.

The Apple Watch was developed by Mr. Ive after Mr. Jobs passed away. The product created a business that generated $38 billion in revenue last year.

Four people familiar with the conversation say Mr. Ive asked Mr. Cook to leave Apple. These people said that the designer was exhausted from building the consensus needed to make the Apple Watch. Mr. Cook agreed to let Mr. I work part-time.

The designer would leave Apple to create LoveFrom. Mr. Cook said in his statement that he was looking forward to working with Jony.