Setback for Apple is reportedly preparing for more senior-level exits, with reports indicating that at least one additional executive is expected to leave next year. The move comes after two of the company’s most prominent leaders recently announced their retirement plans, raising concerns over continuity within the firm’s upper ranks.

Report points to further departures

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, writing in hisPower On newsletter, reported that Apple will see “at least” one more significant departure either next year or sooner. While the names of those involved have not been disclosed, Gurman noted that a number of executives are likely to follow suit in the coming years as the company spaces out retirements at its most senior levels.

The leadership transition has already begun. In August 2024, the California-based tech giant confirmed the retirement of long-standing Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri, appointing Kevan Parekh as his successor. Less than a year later, in July 2025, the company announced that Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams would also retire at the end of this year, with Sabih Khan stepping into the role. Both Maestri and Williams remain with Apple in limited capacities to oversee their respective transitions.

Succession strategy underway Setback for Apple

Apple’s strategy appears to involve managing these departures gradually, rather than allowing multiple senior figures to exit simultaneously. Even so, analysts suggest that the ageing profile of Apple’s leadership team poses a structural challenge. The risk is not merely the loss of institutional knowledge, but potential disruption to the long-term projects currently shaping the company’s future.

These initiatives include Setback for Apple investment in artificial intelligence, work on non-humanoid robotics, and its entry into the home security market. Any instability at the executive level could hinder progress and complicate the company’s ability to maintain its momentum during a critical period of technological expansion.

(With inputs from Bloomberg)