Veteran Apple Exec from Jobs Era to Retire After 26 Years: Report

Apple’s former hardware engineering chief and current head of its mixed-reality headsets division, Dan Riccio, is set to retire from the company this month, according to a new report from Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman.

Riccio’s exit from the company has been a while in the making, noted Gurman. The veteran executive, one of the last remnants from the Steve Jobs era, has served 26 years at Apple. Riccio was promoted to Senior Vice President alongside software chief Craig Federighi back in 2012. However, he stepped down from SVP to VP around three years ago — a precursor to his eventual retirement, per Gurman.

Riccio spent most of his time at Apple overseeing the company’s hardware engineering efforts. Around early 2021, Apple moved Riccio to spearhead the development of the Vision Pro and other AR/VR headsets. He was also heavily involved with Apple’s now-abandoned self-driving car project.

According to Gurman’s sources, Riccio’s Vision Products Group — which consists of around two thousand engineers responsible for AR/VR headsets and related technology — will fall under the command of Apple’s current hardware boss John Ternus after the former’s departure. Riccio’s current right-hand man, Mike Rockwell, will continue running the Vision Products Group’s day-to-day.

The long-time Apple exec was one of the biggest advocates for Apple’s push into the AR/VR space. While the Vision Pro has been far from a commercial success, it has proven itself an excellent technological demonstration that could pave the way for more successful, mainstream mixed-reality products in the future.

Riccio made some key hires and encouraged crucial acquisitions over his tenure that led to major leaps in Apple’s product portfolio. He also oversaw several more successful product launches during his time at the company, including the AirPods, the iPad Pro, and the first large-screen iPhones.

Riccio’s exit could be just one piece of a larger shake-up at Apple as many of its top executives (CEO Tim Cook included) approach retirement age around the same time. Dan Rosckes, another long-time Apple exec currently serving as the company’s procurement chief, is also set to retire imminently.