Jeff Williams transitioned out of Apple’s chief operating officer role in July 2025 in a planned succession, with operations chief Sabih Khan becoming COO. Williams then remained responsible for design, Apple Watch and health initiatives until retiring in November 2025. The change preserves supply-chain continuity while moving Apple’s design organization to CEO Tim Cook after Williams’s departure.
What happened to Jeff Williams at Apple?
Apple announced on July 8, 2025, that Williams would hand the COO role to Sabih Khan later that month. Apple described the move as a “long-planned succession,” not a dismissal. Williams continued reporting to Cook and retained oversight of Apple’s design team, Apple Watch and health initiatives during the transition.
MacRumors reported on November 15, 2025, that Williams had officially retired, with his final day on the preceding Friday. That makes the completed departure different from the July change in operating title: he transitioned from COO in July and retired in November.
Who replaced Jeff Williams as Apple COO?
Sabih Khan, previously Apple’s senior vice president of Operations, became chief operating officer. Apple said Khan had spent 30 years at the company, joined its executive team in 2019 and led the global supply chain for six years.
Recommended Free Tools
#1 Best Overall
- AN AMAZING MAC AT A SURPRISING PRICE — With an incredibly portable and durable aluminum design, up to 16 hours of battery life,* and the A18 Pro chip, MacBook Neo is ready to go wherever school takes you.
- FOUR STUNNING COLORS. ONE DURABLE DESIGN — Choose from four beautiful colors — Silver, Blush, Citrus, or Indigo — each with a color-coordinated keyboard. And MacBook Neo is made with a durable recycled aluminum enclosure that helps it reach 60 percent recycled content by weight — the most ever in any Apple product.*
- FLY THROUGH EVERYDAY ASSIGNMENTS — Whether you’re cramming for finals, using Apple Intelligence* to summarize class notes, creating presentations, or even playing the latest Apple Arcade game,* MacBook Neo delivers the performance and AI capabilities you need to get things done.
- UP TO 16 HOURS OF BATTERY LIFE — MacBook Neo delivers all day battery life, so you can power through from early morning classes to late night study sessions without worrying about plugging in.
- A VIBRANT 13-INCH DISPLAY* — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display on MacBook Neo supports 1 billion colors, so photos and videos pop and text is crisp for easy reading.
| Executive | Role in the transition | Relevant responsibilities |
|---|---|---|
| Jeff Williams | Transitioned from COO in July 2025; retired in November 2025 | Design, Apple Watch and health initiatives during the interim period |
| Sabih Khan | Became COO later in July 2025 | Product quality, planning, procurement, manufacturing, logistics, fulfillment and supplier-responsibility programs |
Why Sabih Khan is a continuity choice
Khan was already responsible for the machinery that makes Apple products: global planning, purchasing, factory relationships, logistics, fulfillment, quality and supplier programs. His promotion therefore keeps supply-chain leadership inside the executive responsible for those functions rather than handing operations to an outsider.
Apple CEO Tim Cook called Khan “one of the central architects of Apple’s supply chain.” Apple also said his work helped reduce the company’s carbon footprint by more than 60 percent. That figure is an Apple-stated claim, not an independently published performance study.
Rank #2
- AN AMAZING MAC AT A SURPRISING PRICE — With an incredibly portable and durable aluminum design, up to 16 hours of battery life,* and the A18 Pro chip, MacBook Neo is ready to go wherever school takes you.
- FOUR STUNNING COLORS. ONE DURABLE DESIGN — Choose from four beautiful colors — Silver, Blush, Citrus, or Indigo — each with a color-coordinated keyboard. And MacBook Neo is made with a durable recycled aluminum enclosure that helps it reach 60 percent recycled content by weight — the most ever in any Apple product.*
- FLY THROUGH EVERYDAY ASSIGNMENTS — Whether you’re cramming for finals, using Apple Intelligence* to summarize class notes, creating presentations, or even playing the latest Apple Arcade game,* MacBook Neo delivers the performance and AI capabilities you need to get things done.
- UP TO 16 HOURS OF BATTERY LIFE — MacBook Neo delivers all day battery life, so you can power through from early morning classes to late night study sessions without worrying about plugging in.
- A VIBRANT 13-INCH DISPLAY* — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display on MacBook Neo supports 1 billion colors, so photos and videos pop and text is crisp for easy reading.
What Jeff Williams built at Apple
A global supply network
Apple credited Williams with building a supply chain capable of supporting customers and growth across the United States, China, India, Japan and Southeast Asia. He also led supplier-responsibility efforts and helped guide major iPod and iPhone programs.
Apple Watch and health
Williams led the Apple Watch effort and later architected Apple’s health strategy. Those responsibilities made his role broader than conventional procurement or manufacturing management.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Rank #3
- BUILT FOR COLLEGE. AND BEYOND — MacBook Air with the M5 chip packs blazing speed and powerful AI capabilities into an incredibly portable design. And with up to 18 hours of battery life,* this thin and light powerhouse is ready to take on almost any major, just about anywhere.
- TEAR THROUGH TOUGH ASSIGNMENTS — With its faster CPU and unified memory, the M5 chip delivers even more performance and fluidity across apps, making multitasking and creative workflows smooth and responsive. A powerful Neural Engine and next-generation GPU with Neural Accelerators give you a powerful platform for AI.
- MAKE QUICK WORK OF YOUR TO-DO LIST — Apple Intelligence helps you write, express yourself, and get things done effortlessly — whether it’s for school or everyday life. With groundbreaking privacy protections, it gives you peace of mind that no one else can access your data — not even Apple.*
- UP TO 18 HOURS OF BATTERY LIFE — MacBook Air delivers incredible battery life with amazing performance, so you can power through a full day of classes without worrying about plugging in.
- A BRILLIANT 13.6-INCH DISPLAY* — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display on MacBook Air supports 1 billion colors, making photos and videos pop with rich contrast and sharp detail, and text appears supercrisp. So everything — from class presentations to movies to games — looks truly stunning.
Design leadership
In his later years, Williams oversaw Apple’s design team. Apple said the team would report directly to Cook after Williams retired, changing the reporting structure even though the design organization itself remained within Apple.
When did Jeff Williams retire?
Williams retired in November 2025, according to a November 15 MacRumors report that identified the preceding Friday as his final day. The retirement followed the July COO handoff rather than occurring at the same time.
Rank #4
- BUILT FOR COLLEGE. AND BEYOND — MacBook Air with the M5 chip packs blazing speed and powerful AI capabilities into an incredibly portable design. And with up to 18 hours of battery life,* this thin and light powerhouse is ready to take on almost any major, just about anywhere.
- TEAR THROUGH TOUGH ASSIGNMENTS — With its faster CPU and unified memory, the M5 chip delivers even more performance and fluidity across apps, making multitasking and creative workflows smooth and responsive. A powerful Neural Engine and next-generation GPU with Neural Accelerators give you a powerful platform for AI.
- MAKE QUICK WORK OF YOUR TO-DO LIST — Apple Intelligence helps you write, express yourself, and get things done effortlessly — whether it’s for school or everyday life. With groundbreaking privacy protections, it gives you peace of mind that no one else can access your data — not even Apple.*
- UP TO 18 HOURS OF BATTERY LIFE — MacBook Air delivers incredible battery life with amazing performance, so you can power through a full day of classes without worrying about plugging in.
- A BRILLIANT 13.6-INCH DISPLAY* — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display on MacBook Air supports 1 billion colors, making photos and videos pop with rich contrast and sharp detail, and text appears supercrisp. So everything — from class presentations to movies to games — looks truly stunning.
Williams said June 2025 marked his 27th anniversary at Apple and his 40th year in the industry. He said he planned to spend more time with friends and family, including “five grandchildren and counting.”
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the transition means for Apple
Operations remain under an experienced leader
The handoff does not signal a break with Apple’s supply-chain model. Khan had already run the global network and its supplier-responsibility functions, so the core operating priorities move to an executive with direct knowledge of them.
Best Value
- BUILT FOR COLLEGE. AND BEYOND — MacBook Air with the M5 chip packs blazing speed and powerful AI capabilities into an incredibly portable design. And with up to 18 hours of battery life,* this thin and light powerhouse is ready to take on almost any major, just about anywhere.
- TEAR THROUGH TOUGH ASSIGNMENTS — With its faster CPU and unified memory, the M5 chip delivers even more performance and fluidity across apps, making multitasking and creative workflows smooth and responsive. A powerful Neural Engine and next-generation GPU with Neural Accelerators give you a powerful platform for AI.
- MAKE QUICK WORK OF YOUR TO-DO LIST — Apple Intelligence helps you write, express yourself, and get things done effortlessly — whether it’s for school or everyday life. With groundbreaking privacy protections, it gives you peace of mind that no one else can access your data — not even Apple.*
- UP TO 18 HOURS OF BATTERY LIFE — MacBook Air delivers incredible battery life with amazing performance, so you can power through a full day of classes without worrying about plugging in.
- A BRILLIANT 15.3-INCH DISPLAY* — The gorgeous Liquid Retina display on MacBook Air supports 1 billion colors, making photos and videos pop with rich contrast and sharp detail, and text appears supercrisp. So everything — from class presentations to movies to games — looks truly stunning.
The design reporting line changes
Williams’s retirement creates the clearest organizational change outside operations: Apple’s design team reports directly to Cook after Williams leaves. Williams’s interim oversight connected design, Watch and health; that combined portfolio ends with his retirement.
It is not a CEO succession announcement
Apple’s announcement described a planned COO succession and did not present the move as a CEO succession decision. It also did not give a reason beyond Williams’s stated intention to devote more time to family.
Key dates at a glance
- 1998: Williams joined Apple, according to the November 2025 report.
- 2015: He became chief operating officer.
- July 8, 2025: Apple announced the planned COO transition.
- Later in July 2025: Khan assumed the COO role.
- November 2025: Williams retired; MacRumors reported his final day as the preceding Friday.
Bottom line for Apple watchers
Williams’s departure closes a 27-year Apple chapter that touched supply-chain design, iPod and iPhone launches, Apple Watch, health and industrial design. Khan’s promotion is primarily an operational-continuity move: the executive who had been running Apple’s supply chain takes the COO job, while design shifts to a direct reporting relationship with Cook after Williams retires.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
