If you don’t know the name Jonathan Ive, you’ve surely seen his work -- which includes pretty much all of Apple’s key products in recent years. But he may soon be doing his work from abroad, as a new report claims the British-born designer wants to return home to England.
MacRumors is reporting that Apple’s key designer, Jonathan Ive, is eyeing a move back to his native England -- a move that isn’t sitting too well with the company’s board of directors, given that Ive is responsible for the design of the unibody MacBook Pro as well as the iPod, iPhone and iPad, the products that have reinvented Cupertino as a mobile powerhouse.
According to a report in The Sunday Times (by way of The Daily Mail and Cult of Mac), Ive has been exclusively shackled to Apple for the past three years as part of a “golden handcuffs” deal signed in 2008. Apparently, the deal is now up and in addition to cashing in £18 million, there’s always the possibility that Ive may leave Apple completely if negotiations don’t work out.
Ive has reportedly offered to commute from his home in Somerset, England, but the plan has met with resistance from Apple’s board of directors, who feel that his role is too critical to the company.
“Unfortunately, he is just too valuable to Apple and they told him in no uncertain terms that if he headed back to England he would not be able to sustain his position with them,” a family friend told The Sunday Times.
Ive has been a designer with Apple since 1992, having created most of the iconic devices released by the company since then.
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(Image courtesy of MacRumors)
dmaoliver
February 28, 2011 at 9:02pm
If this is true, Apple's board is being extremely short-sighted. I've heard of some ridiculous "butts-in-seats" attitudes by some organizations, but this is arguably the most successful technology company in the world insisting that an employee has to be at a specific location in order to work for them?! Say it ain't so.
TheBreen
February 28, 2011 at 1:17pm
I call shenanigans.
First, this information comes by way of a second-hand report; none of these US web sites have even read the Sunday Times original article! It seems that $2 is too much to pay for research. ;o) The quote reported by Mac Rumors cites a "friend of the family" apparently speaking out of turn. Jony Ive keeps famously close; it's unlikely that any "friend" with access to true and reliable information about his employment situation would speak to the press.
Second, the only actual information presented is that Jony Ive MAY have options worth $18 million that have recently vested. This is normal for Apple. Their performance bonus options nearly always vest over time. The fact that one set of options has vested doesn't mean that there aren't more options which have not yet vested, or that someone is merely waiting until their options vest to leave the company. Who can't afford to retire on $90 million, but can afford to on $130 million?
Third, Jonathan Ive is a Designer. He doesn't just "do" design, it's his life's work and calling. He predates Steve Jobs' return to Apple by five years, and there is no other company on earth where a designer can make as big or as visible an impact as Apple. Leaving Apple would, in effect, be tantamount to quitting the design industry.
Finally, Jony Ive is a young man. At—what? 44 years old?—he's got decades left to fill with something to stave off boredom. He's not Larry Ellison, who might spend a retirement yachting, playing tennis, or collecting US states. Although he has children and he might like to spend more time with them, any parent can tell you that as children grow up they certainly don't want to spend all their time with YOU! The public knows of no other personal passion that Jony Ive has but Design.
As if all that weren't enough, I contacted my Magic 8 Ball and asked, "Will Jony Ive leave Apple?" The answer came up, "All signs point to 'no.' "
@TheBreen
nicvargus
February 28, 2011 at 3:06pm
Agree with you on all points except the "he's a young man at 44" bit. Based on absolutely zero evidence, I'd say the man has the look of David Beckham in both a literal and figurative sense -- some people just like to quit at the top of their game. Or quit, join a lesser force, don't do very well, and then get a debilitating injury (in the case of Beckham).
If I were Ives I might call it a day and go live on a Yacht he designed. Or become an architect. Or, you know, stay at Apple.
raywes
February 28, 2011 at 8:44am
Apple should do whatever is possible to retain Jonathan Ive. So he goes back to his home in England, he could still work his magic for Apple from there and commute back to Cupertino. Don't waste talent like his. You can both work it out.
