impending exit of two veteran executives, Lisa Jackson and Kate Adams. Jackson is presently the company’s VP of Environmental, Policy, and Social Initiatives. She initially became part of Apple in May 2013 and has recently become a recognizable figure in Apple’s self-produced videos that showcase its various environmental accomplishments. On the other hand, Kate Adams has served as Apple’s general counsel since 2017 and plans to depart in March of the coming year. Her successor will be Jennifer Newstead.
“Kate has been a vital component of the company for nearly a decade, providing essential guidance while consistently championing our customers’ right to privacy and safeguarding Apple’s ability to innovate,” remarked Apple CEO Tim Cook in a press statement. Regarding Jackson, Cook praised that, under her environmental leadership, Apple succeeded in lowering its “global greenhouse emissions by more than 60% relative to 2015 figures.”
It is important to underscore that both Jackson and Adams are retiring rather than being ousted or leaving for positions at other firms. This distinction is critical, especially since Apple has experienced several notable corporate changes in recent months. The most significant news was yesterday’s announcement that Apple design executive Alan Dye will join Meta in 2026. Apple prides itself on exceptional design quality, and the departure of its lead user interface designer marks a substantial shift.
Nevertheless, the news of Apple losing its environmental leader and chief legal officer would generally not be remarkable on its own. However, considering the broader context of Apple executives and numerous top engineers departing in recent months, the overarching observation is that Apple is undergoing a considerable leadership transformation at a magnitude not witnessed in quite a while.
