Walter Isaacson on Jony Ive's departure from Apple

Jony Ive, Apple's chief design officer, announced he was leaving the company to form his own design firm that will continue to work closely with Apple. Tim Cook disputed a report about the departure and the company's ability to uphold its commitment to innovative design. Walter Isaacson, advisory partner at Perella Weinberg Partners and professor at Tulane, joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss.

[@blaxerx]

This is exactly why Ive left. People concern about stocks and shares when someone leaves the company rather than performance of culture and design philosophy.

[@waltaMan11]

By people I think you mean Tim 😒

[@samuelallen8945]

Exactly. These money heads don't get the fact that Jobs didn't give a squat about share holders - it was about great design - he'd take a loss before he put out a product that wasn't ready.

[@cheapcharlie8407]

@@samuelallen8945 what a stupid comment saying Steve didnt care about shareholders you sound like you were spoon fed this info from apple PR lol

[@bftjoe]

@@DavidJaffeGames But Apple is more profitable by reusing designs.

[@mutestingray]

I’m no Cook fan, but Ive’s work (or Apple’s design in general) got lazy. There hasn’t been a genuinely different phone design since the 6. The Mac mini is the same in basic design. The relentless pursuit of thinness at the cost of function (headphone jack, butterfly keyboard, bending devices). Same on the software. Jobs, despite his spiritual affair with Ive, was a counterbalance to Ive. Look at Forstall and the later result of iOS 7.

[@tpf4292]

Not a product person, that’s dangerous for a tech company

[@bommaritohawaii]

I don't like the direction of Apple

[@640A]

I know Apple isn't what it used to be under Steve & Jony days but men once you've used/experienced the iPhone X-series gestures and fluid animation...you'd know that's something special! The amount of UI design and Human Interface consideration that went into making something that feels so amazing to use is just incredible! I don't care what Wall Street says, as long as they keep making products that feel amazing to use I will keep buying them. Periode.

[@rogueagent0191]

Fanboy alert!

[@Ohho9259]

Rogue Agent 01 He’s not a fanboy, he’s just expressing his opinion. You people calling others “fanboys” are acting as if being appreciative of something is bad thing. Try running a business and creating a product and not having people expressing gratitude towards your damn work.

[@johniii8147]

It’s no great loss at this point. He checked out a while ago and wasn’t even showing up for work much anymore.

[@blkscreen15]

John Iii how do you know this?

[@johniii8147]

World Citizen It’s been pretty well reported in tech blogs

[@HaHa-vy9ct]

Apple has turned in to the very thing Steve Jobs fought against.

[@poetsguide]

The odious smell of truth

[@victormejia2983]

I think Jony without Steve was out of control. Apple was becoming more aesthetic than substance. Now slowly they are coming back to a great situation. I enjoy the products more now than the years after Steve’s passing.

[@Chadisms]

Apple lost its star quarter back and wide receiver. All it has left is its deep pockets and Cook. It’s like the muppets without Jim Henson. Not good.

[@sivakrishnat5471]

This guy probably made a million dollars out of Steve's story.

[@SpringY]

Tim Cook: Guys, give me a break

[@Sketchmee5]

This is the beginning of the end of Apple empire.

[@cheapcharlie8407]

Wrong. some people only buy apple

[@blacksheepshepherd]

Long overdue 😂

[@natereynolds2255]

Sketchmee5 When is this going to actually happen, because you people seem to have been saying this since the iOS 7 change?

[@dj.mb_one]

@@natereynolds2255 just check the iphone 11..if people buy that crap then they need profesional help :) apple slow death started when Steve passed away and now Jony out of apple it will go faster..try to read on android forums how many ex iphone users stop using iphones..i am one of them..i use macs but not iphones with old technology :)

[@george78779]

Steve and Jony are not there anymore. 😢

[@augustoliver351]

Apple has been going downhill for a while and it's pretty smart for him to leave.

[@donaldtrump3310]

he was fired by cook

[@slob5041]

It got better post Ive ironically

[@DoctorCiaran]

Yeah I mean the new Apple can only make products such s the iPad Pro and Apple Watch Series 4, whereas the old Apple turned out only flawless designs like the G4 Cube and the puck mouse. Clearly they have lost it /s

[@slob5041]

I think cook was at least trying to respect Ive. It’s not that he didn’t understand what value he brought even if he didn’t get it personally.

[@bplamon]

The Ive's creative era is over. Apple has missed or lagged in so many Tech areas in the past few years. Smart speakers being one. Siri another. Alexa blew right past her. What about VR? Failed on TV Tech, Roku passes AppleTV in market share and at half the price. Spotify takes over the music streaming world. iPhone now 4th in China instead of first. And let's not forget the Ive's infamous Butterfly keyboard in it's 3rd generation and still a failure. $1000 Monitor stand for new Mac Pro? Common Jony. Is this Tim Cook's fault? No. Does Tim Cook need to be a product guy? No. But he needs talented people to bring new & innovative products and services to market and that's his and Apple's biggest challenge today. Let's not continue to lament the passing of Jobs and Ives leaving. They are gone. Era over. Lets hope there's some new Genius's on the horizon. Apple's got the cash. Go find them.

[@Mario_N64]

Ive ran out of ideas. His "minimalism" came from precisely a lack of ideas.

[@slob5041]

I think it’s easy to look at the failures but not the good. Apple is still the only brand with fashion value, when they jump everyone else does too and they get that.

[@paulcleveland686]

Craig Federighi is now playing quarter back. And the custom silicon team are getting him hard running yards up the middle. Tactics have changed formula is still winning.

[@amirg9716]

✍️🏻 Steve Jobs always knew that Tim Cook would not be able to replace him and succeed as Apple's true leader. The only person who could potentially become a new Steve was Scott Forstall. But perhaps Steve didn't want someone to take his place; he wanted to be proven as the only true Apple’s leader. He had the talent to predict a future. He also knew very well his team. If Forstall would become a new CEO, Ive would leave, but his design team would continue to do what they do. Making Tim Cook the CEO, he knew that his power and ambitions would eventually destroy the existing team, and Apple itself in a future. And that is what exactly happening right now. Bravo Steve Jobs, truly the genius!

[@blacksheepshepherd]

Yes. The apple genius 😂

[@Mario_N64]

Ive wanted to be CEO. He thought he would get closer to that goal by getting rid of Forstall. He was wrong. Cook is not going anywhere.

[@blacksheepshepherd]

Dun worry! Timmy will bring more money to the Apple investors.

[@benjacobs2560]

Apple is still making the best products on the planet by far. The problem is they jacked up the price of the phone by $400 by charging extra for stupid features like stainless steal or face i.d. that doesn’t improve the functionality of the phone. It’s not going to change until people stop buying them. All they need to do is come out with an iphone 8 with no home button for the same price as an iphone se and it‘s all good. The iphone 8 is still a monster but it looks dated because of the home button. For 5% of the population, $1000 doesn’t matter but for most people, it’s just too expensive for b.s. features that nobody cares about.

[@bftjoe]

People have stopped buying phones, part of the reason they jacked up the prices is to try to maintain profit despite lower sales.

[@adamtoepfer]

Well, they had a good run. Pity.

[@nala3038]

iQuit

[@briansuarez8498]

🤣🤣🤣

[@inmatejason]

makes you wonder how much he softened in the book and how honest and true it really was. i hope he goes back one day and rewrites it 100% honest. what made apple so great was because steve was a product guy. the apple i luved died with steve jobs. now its a greedy company looking to make the most money, everything steve hated about the other guys.

[@MrRant247]

Funny I never heard of Jony Ive until today.

[@wazitSomethingISaid]

Apple isn't Apple Anymore. No Steve No Jony. Just Tim who is only interested in Cooking the books with 8 year old designs with slight changes.

[@vision-gc4hy]

This is being over analyzed. Apple, like every other tech company ran out the potential of these products. He left because he couldn’t make products any thinner while still keeping them useful.

[@cortezforever]

When Apple's stock becomes worthless Jony Ive will be begged to become CEO. Then he can fire everybody with no passion. He will be back!

[@davidderidder2667]

It is going down the drain!!! New Apple macbooks feel like plastic damned!!!

[@Mario_N64]

Ive agonizes over small crap that no one cares about and doesn't make business sense. That's why he's out.

[@dreamqueen317]

Jony wanted / s to build beautiful products. Not just make products that track people and make money.

[@davidorama6690]

What it means? Standard USB-C connectors. Good riddance Johnny Ive.

[@sj4632]

Steve Jobs is rolling in his grave. Apple has lost its purpose.

[@pinkeye00]

Apple is dead.

[@ladyglittersparkles86]

Jony Ive needs to come back and become CEO. I hate Tim Cook, all he's done is make Apple gay with his damn rainbows and shit.

[@angrybrit7331]

Anyone who picks apple over android,s like Samsung etc are not a true tech lover but a brand lover only

[@ArthArmani]

True tech lover?:D look at the samsung phones before iPhone :D

[@scottyhaines4226]

@@ArthArmani Apple hasn't innovated anything since Jobs passed away. Jobs would of had wireless charging in his phones way before Samsung wanted to because he was focused on innovating and creating a really good user experience. Cook is nothing more than a profit monger. And until Apple goes back to innovating they'll continue to stay behind the times and eventually lose customers over it.

[@ArthArmani]

@@scottyhaines4226 i know, i miss Steve, he was so focused on products, i just wonder why Steve didint pick Jony as a next CEO.

[@Slush23]

angry brit huh ! This is the stupidest comment I’ve ever read !

[@blacksheepshepherd]

Nope, they are a flock of sheep's. 😂🤣

[@mathewreichardt3832]

Jony Ive is grossly overrated and I'm happy to see him go. Now maybe Apple will return to innovative designs.

[@Tackleqb]

Lmfao. He is leaving because Apple did not allow him to be innovative like he was with Jobs. Did you forget Ive was at Apple before Steve even came back? Idiot

[@Mario_N64]

Same here he only knows about rounded rectangles. That got old. He takes himself way too seriously.