Apple (AAPL.US) personnel turmoil receives key reassurance, chip chief refutes rumours of recent departure

The Zhitong Finance App learned that Johny Srouji, head of Apple's (AAPL.US) chip department, told employees on Monday that he will continue to stay with this iPhone manufacturer. Media reports over the weekend said that Srouji had indicated his intention to leave the company, hinting that he might switch to other tech companies. In a memo to department employees, he said, “I know you have been watching all kinds of rumors and speculations about my future direction at Apple. I think you should get the news directly from me. I love my team and I love my job at Apple, and I have no plans to leave the job anytime soon.”

According to people familiar with the matter, Srouji, who is the senior vice president of the hardware technology division, once told CEO Tim Cook that he is indeed seriously considering leaving his job recently. Previously, the risk that he might leave his job may have exacerbated the frequent changes in the company's senior personnel.

According to these sources, Cook is facing large-scale changes in senior positions at the company, but he is still actively working to retain Srouji. They said Cook's strategy included providing generous compensation and promising more responsibilities in the future.

Srouji is responsible for Apple's transformation to self-developed chips, and is highly respected in the industry. In Monday's memo, Srouji said he's proud of the technology Apple is developing, including displays, cameras, sensors, chips, and batteries.

Currently, Apple is experiencing the company's biggest personnel crisis in decades. Intensive separations from senior management to key engineers are breaking the tech giant's original power structure and talent base. Recently, Apple's head of artificial intelligence and interface design left their posts one after another, and the general counsel and head of government affairs announced that they will soon retire.

Apple's recent wave of departures has raised deep market concerns about its “brain drain,” especially at a critical time when the company urgently needs to catch up with competitors in the field of artificial intelligence. A large number of top AI talents are flowing to Meta, OpenAI, and various startups, which may further hinder Apple's catch up in the generative AI era. After all, the company is currently lagging behind other tech giants in this field.