Dan Riccio retires: An era at Apple ends

Dan Riccio, a longtime veteran and key technology leader at Apple, is retiring this month after 26 years with the company. According to a report from Bloomberg, Riccio is leaving the company after an impressive career in which he drove many of Apple's biggest technological developments.

Dan Riccio has played a central role in the development of Apple hardware since 1998. Bloomberg reportedthat Riccio is retiring after more than two decades at Apple. Over the course of his career, he has led projects such as the iPhone, the iPad and most recently the Vision Pro headset, which embodies the future of augmented reality technology at Apple.

Riccio's start at Apple and rise to the executive level

Dan Riccio joined Apple in 1998, at a time when the company was undergoing a transformation. He started in hardware development and quickly built a reputation as someone who combined technical expertise with a no-compromise approach. These skills earned him the position of Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering in 2012. In this role, he was responsible for developing products that revolutionized the technology world - most notably the iPhone, iPad and Mac.

milestones of his career

During his 26 years at Apple, Riccio was involved in some of the company's most significant technological breakthroughs. Under his leadership, numerous iPhone and iPad generations were developed, which became global bestsellers. Riccio also played a key role in the transition to Apple Silicon, the development of its own processors. This move allowed Apple to break away from external suppliers such as Intel and significantly increase the efficiency and performance of Apple devices. Another major project that was created under Riccio's supervision is the Vision Pro headset. This augmented reality technology is set to play a central role in Apple's product strategy in the future. Riccio was one of the biggest advocates of this project and served as an intermediary between the development team and Apple's leadership.

The challenges: failed projects and setbacks

However, not everything went according to plan during Riccio's time at Apple. One particularly ambitious project was the so-called Apple Car, also known as Project Titan. Apple worked for more than a decade to develop a self-driving car, but in February 2024 the project was finally setDespite this setback, Riccio's legacy at Apple remains undisputed, as he played a key role in developing the company's most successful products.

The restructuring and his resignation

Already in January 2021, Apple had a significant restructuring of the hardware engineering team made. Riccio moved into a new role focused on "special projects," handing over leadership of the hardware engineering team to John Ternus. Since then, Riccio has focused on developing the Vision Pro headset and leading the team working on the future of Apple's augmented reality technology. With his departure, Mike Rockwell, another Apple veteran, will lead the Vision Products Group on a day-to-day basis. John Ternus, the current head of the hardware engineering team, will assume responsibility for leading and overseeing the group.

Further changes at Apple

Riccio's resignation is not the only change in Apple's leadership team. Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri will also retire after the end of 2024, and Apple's chief purchasing officer, who served the company for 24 years, will also retire soon. These developments point to a major shakeup in the company's leadership structure as Apple prepares for the future and challenges ahead.

Dan Riccio: Apple's driving force behind technological innovation

Dan Riccio was a central figure in Apple's technological progress for 26 years. From the development of the iPhone and iPad to Vision Pro technology, he led Apple through some of the company's most significant innovations. Although his style was not always uncontroversial, his influence on Apple's hardware development remains undisputed. His retirement marks the beginning of a new phase for Apple, in which the company is restructuring its leadership and preparing for upcoming technological challenges. Even without Riccio, Apple will continue to rely on the innovative power that he played a key role in shaping. (Image: Apple)