Apple Rocked by Executive Turmoil as Chip Chief Johny Srouji Considers Leaving [Report]

Apple is facing the possibility of losing one of its most influential leaders. Johny Srouji, the senior vice president who oversees hardware technologies and built the Apple silicon program, has told CEO Tim Cook that he is thinking about leaving in the near future. According to Bloomberg, Srouji has also mentioned to colleagues that he intends to join another company if he decides to step away. Cook has been trying to keep him at Apple, offering significant compensation and the possibility of a future role as chief technology officer.



The news lands during a year marked by unusually heavy turnover in Apple's leadership. This week, the company confirmed that General Counsel Kate Adams and environmental chief Lisa Jackson will retire in 2026. Their plans follow the departure of design executive Alan Dye, who left for Meta, and the news that AI chief John Giannandrea will step down next spring. Apple also recently saw COO Jeff Williams retire after nearly a decade in the role.


Engineering groups have seen similar pressure. Teams working on AI, robotics, cameras, silicon, wearables, and the Vision Pro have lost staff to Meta, OpenAI, and several startups. About a dozen of Apple's top AI researchers have left this year. Longtime members of the interface organization have also moved on, including Billy Sorrentino and others who spent years shaping Apple's design language.

Part of the strain comes from setbacks inside Apple's AI efforts. Apple Intelligence has rolled out more slowly than expected, and a major Siri update is still behind schedule. Many of the planned features rely on Google's Gemini models, which has raised concerns among employees who want Apple to hold on to more of its own AI work.

Inside the company, more responsibility has shifted toward Craig Federighi, Eddy Cue, Sabih Khan, and hardware engineering chief John Ternus. Ternus is widely seen as the leading candidate to eventually succeed Cook. If Srouji decides to stay, he could take on a larger role, though that would depend on how Apple handles future leadership changes.

The uncertainty arrives as Apple works on its next generation of products, including smart glasses, foldable devices, and new robotics projects. Staffing issues have already slowed development of the tabletop robot, where both software and hardware teams have lost key people.


Apple recently hired Amar Subramanya, who previously held roles at Google and Microsoft, as vice president of artificial intelligence. He reports to Federighi and has been brought in to help rebuild teams affected by the recent departures.

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