Jony Ive will depart Apple to start his own company

Enlarge / Jony Ive speaks onstage during the 2017 New Yorker TechFest in New York City. (credit: Brian Ach/Getty Images)

Jony Ive, Apple's longtime design chief, will depart Apple to form his own independent design company, according to a press release distributed by Apple today. While he will no longer be an employee, he will count Apple among his clients at the new firm, according to both parties.

Ive's new company will be called LoveFrom. It will be based in California, at least to start, and will launch in 2020 after a transition period later this year, according to a Financial Times article about the change.

"While I will not be an [Apple] employee, I will still be very involved-I hope for many, many years to come. This just seems like a natural and gentle time to make this change," Ive told Financial Times. CEO Tim Cook also commented to Financial Times in his usual upbeat voice, saying, "We get to continue with the same team that we've had for a long time and have the pleasure of continuing to work with Jony. I can't imagine a better result."

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