Apple cuts ties with ex-Chief Design Officer Jony Ive and LoveFrom design firm

Apple has reportedly cut ties with its former Chief Design Officer Jony Ive and his newly founded design firm LoveFrom, with The New York Times reporting on Tuesday that after 30 years, Ive and Apple have fully gone their separate ways after the ex-design chief announced in 2019 that he would be leaving Apple to focus on forming his own design firm, which Apple would become a primary client of.

The year Ive left Apple, the iPhone maker reportedly signed a multiyear contract worth more than $100 million to become a client of LoveFrom, however, The New York Times report that “in recent weeks, with the contract coming up for renewal, the parties agreed not to extend it,” with some Apple executives allegedly questioning how much the company was paying LoveFrom for its services, with Ive allegedly wanting “the freedom to take on clients without needing Apple’s clearance,” after strict contracts prohibited the newly-formed practice from taking on work Apple found competitive, the article says.

Apple said when Ive announced his departure that he would “continue to work closely and on a range of projects with Apple,” with The New York Times noting how LoveFrom has worked on new products, such as the long-rumored AR/VR headset expected to be announced next year.

After Ive’s departure from the company, reports claimed the former Chief Design Officer had gradually been stepping back from his role since the original Apple Watch was unveiled in 2014. Rumors claimed Ive had grown unfond of working at Apple, something Apple CEO Tim Cook said was “absurd” and inaccurate.

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