Apple VP of Engineering Dan Riccio to Retire This Month [Report]

Apple VP of Engineering Dan Riccio is set to retire from his position at the company this month, according to a new report from Bloomberg.

The veteran executive, a vice president who reports to Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook, is leaving Apple this month, according to people with knowledge of the move. Employees in Riccio's Vision Products Group, which includes a couple thousand engineers working on headsets and related technology, were told they would become the responsibility of John Ternus, Apple's hardware boss.


Sources say that Mike Rockwell, Riccio's current lieutenant, will continue to lead the Vision Products Group on a day-to-day basis.


After joining Apple in 1998 as a leader on the Product Design team, Riccio became vice president of iPad Hardware Engineering in 2010, and in 2012 he joined the executive team as the leader of Hardware Engineering. In 2021, Apple announced that Riccio would transition to a new 'VP of Engineering' role focusing on a new project (Vision Pro) and reporting to CEO Tim Cook. At that time, the company noted that Riccio had been a leader in designing, developing, and engineering almost all of Apple's products.

"From the first generation iMac to the more recent 5G iPhone lineup, M1-based Macs, and AirPods Max, Riccio built the Hardware Engineering teams and scaled Apple's ability to innovate across multiple new product lines with the highest quality."

Bloomberg reports that Riccio was known at times for an abrasive style and controversial moves; however, he made key hires and advocated for acquisitions that resulted in major new products. Riccio oversaw some of Apple's biggest endeavors, including Vision Pro and the failed Apple car project. His departure is considered one of the most significant changes to Apple since Jony Ive left in 2019.

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