New York Times: Apple ends collaboration with designer Jony Ive

Apple and renowned designer Jony Ive are reportedly ending their partnership after three decades of working together. Ive left the company in 2019 as a permanent employee, but still worked a lot for Apple.

Jony Ive worked for Apple for roughly three decades, and after founding the independent LoveFrom in 2019, signed a contract with the company for exclusive collaboration within Apple’s industry. According to various sources from The New York Times this contract, estimated to be worth $100 million at the time of signing, will no longer be renewed. At the time, Ive . wrote that he would continue to work with Apple for “many years.”

Apple was LoveFrom’s primary customer until recently, as the agreement precluded Ive from contributing to the design of products that compete with the tech giant. The designer was also already ‘reserved’ for future projects, including the augmented reality glasses. Ive would have made it no secret that he would have liked more freedom in taking on new assignments. Apple executives, in turn, are said to have criticized the amount of money Ive would receive for the deal. In addition, several designers are said to have left Apple to join LoveFrom.

The British designer started working at Apple in the early 1990s and quickly grew into one of the most influential people in the company. Ive was responsible for the design of the iconic, brightly colored iMac, the EarPods and the Apple Watch, among other things. He worked closely with Steve Jobs, who called him “the greatest operational force in Apple” aside from Jobs himself. A few years after Cook took office as Apple’s CEO, Ive is said to have been less involved in the day-to-day activities of the design team. Cook vehemently denied that.