Apple Display Veterans Step Back as New Leaders Take Over

Two executives who spent roughly three decades each at Apple are stepping down from their roles overseeing the company's displays, as part of a series of engineering leadership changes disclosed by Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman. Victor Yin, who has spent years preparing under predecessors Wei Chen and John Zhong, both with about 30 years of tenure, will now lead Apple's display development efforts. Chen and Zhong will assume more advisory roles as part of a longstanding succession process.

In a recent October promotion, Apple also appointed engineering leaders Rajesh Ambati, Louie Sanguinetti, and Derek Shaeffer as vice presidents. Their responsibilities span connectivity hardware and software, with Sanguinetti's wireless hardware expertise dating back many years. These appointments align with Apple's decision to expand Johny Srouji's position to chief hardware officer, consolidating hardware engineering and technologies under his purview.

A reorganization of product development aimed at enhancing communication between teams designing Apple's chips and devices accompanied these changes, according to Gurman. Additionally, some hardware program managers have been laid off as Srouji and Apple CEO John Ternus eliminate management layers. This follows earlier reports of Ternus' efforts to expedite product development and reduce the number of personnel between engineers and senior leadership.

Elsewhere within Apple, App Store head Carson Oliver has been elevated to vice president, while Steve Smith has assumed the role of corporate development head. Both promotions were reported earlier this month.