Jony Ive left Apple in 2019, but he founded LoveForm Design, which continues to serve Apple as a consultant, and his partnership with Apple is now over.

Ive has helped Apple design important products such as the iPhone, Apple Watch, Mac, and Apple retail stores. In June 2019, Ive left Apple to create his own design company. Since then, Ive has assisted Apple in designing the 24-inch iMac and contributed wisdom to the Apple Car.

Ive left with a multi-year contract with Apple worth more than $100 million. According to the terms, Apple will be LoveFrom’s main customer, and if Apple thinks a project is competitive, Ive will not be able to take orders.

Now it’s time for Apple and Ive to renew their contract, but the two sides announced their separation. Some Apple executives are said to be unhappy with the high fees paid to Ive, and executives are frustrated that some designers have left Apple for LoveFrom. Ive has his own appeal, and he wants to be free to choose customers without having to clarify his work to Apple.

There are rumors that Ive left because Apple paid more and more attention to operations and neglected design. Cook’s lack of interest in the product development process and the growing preference of boards for people with financial and operational backgrounds over technical talent irked Ive.

After Ive left, the Apple design team was handed over to Jeff Williams, industrial design by Evans Hankey, and software design by Alan Dye in charge. Apple marketing chief Greg Joswiak is also said to have some say in product design choices.