Bob Mansfield no longer on Apple's exec team, will continue work on special projects [u]

2

Comments

  • Reply 21 of 57
    ankleskaterankleskater Posts: 1,287member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rogifan View Post



    Intrigue is over. Apple spokesman says he's no longer on the exec team but will still report to Cook working on special projects. I wonder if that means there's no longer a SVP of technologies role, or if they'll be filling that role with someone else? And why Bob would have stepped down from that role if he's staying on at Apple. image


    I think it is also an SEC violation for someone to be on the executive team of two companies. So he can't run Microsoft and be a Sr VP at Apple. :)

  • Reply 22 of 57
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    blackbook wrote: »
    He's probably putting all his energy in the super secret iWatch project. This could be good news as far as that initiative. He'll be leading that team with laser focus now.
    No this has nothing to do with iOS 7
    I don't get why Cook didn't put him in a special advisor role when he announced the reorg last year. Instead he creates a new position for Mansfield only for Mansfield to step down from that position less than a year later. So does the SVP of Technologies still exist and if so who is leading it? If not, what was the point in creating it?
  • Reply 23 of 57
    zintharzinthar Posts: 20member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rogifan View Post





    I don't get why Cook didn't put him in a special advisor role when he announced the reorg last year. Instead he creates a new position for Mansfield only for Mansfield to step down from that position less than a year later. So does the SVP of Technologies still exist and if so who is leading it? If not, what was the point in creating it?


    Well, remember that Mansfield was looking to retire last June, so it stands to reason that this move was probably motivated by a desire to reduce the scope of his work and thus his workload.  I highly doubt that this is similar to Cook's demotion/firing of Scott Forstall (who also became an "advisor" to Cook).  Perhaps Mansfield was considering retiring again, and so they came to an agreement where he would just work on overseeing Apple's watch development, while someone else takes over the more all-encompassing SVP of Technologies role.


     


    Also, do we even know who was reporting to Mansfield after the reorg?  Perhaps the SVP of Technologies role was something where he was advising other execs more than anything else.  The other execs on the page have rather clear departments that report to them.

  • Reply 24 of 57
    murmanmurman Posts: 159member


    If the man wants to leave, then he shall. Is this a transition away from day to day high responsibility role(s) so he could truly leave next year? People are going to come and go, that is inevitable.

  • Reply 25 of 57
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    zinthar wrote: »
    Well, remember that Mansfield was looking to retire last June, so it stands to reason that this move was probably motivated by a desire to reduce the scope of his work and thus his workload.  I highly doubt that this is similar to Cook's demotion/firing of Scott Forstall (who also became an "advisor" to Cook).  Perhaps Mansfield was considering retiring again, and so they came to an agreement where he would just work on overseeing Apple's watch development, while someone else takes over the more all-encompassing SVP of Technologies role.

    Also, do we even know who was reporting to Mansfield after the reorg?  Perhaps the SVP of Technologies role was something where he was advising other execs more than anything else.  The other execs on the page have rather clear departments that report to them.
    I believe Cook said semiconductor and wireless teams were reporting to Mansfield. I'm assuming someone else will be leading them now.
  • Reply 26 of 57

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Zinthar View Post


    Well, remember that Mansfield was looking to retire last June, so it stands to reason that this move was probably motivated by a desire to reduce the scope of his work and thus his workload.  I highly doubt that this is similar to Cook's demotion/firing of Scott Forstall (who also became an "advisor" to Cook).  Perhaps Mansfield was considering retiring again, and so they came to an agreement where he would just work on overseeing Apple's watch development, while someone else takes over the more all-encompassing SVP of Technologies role.


     


    Also, do we even know who was reporting to Mansfield after the reorg?  Perhaps the SVP of Technologies role was something where he was advising other execs more than anything else.  The other execs on the page have rather clear departments that report to them.



    Kevin Lynch, who was hired away from Adobe, reports directly to Mansfield. His title is VP of Technologies. He's definitely one possibility to take over Mansfield's role.

  • Reply 27 of 57
    zintharzinthar Posts: 20member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rogifan View Post





    I believe Cook said semiconductor and wireless teams were reporting to Mansfield. I'm assuming someone else will be leading them now.


    Would that include the teams that develop the Apple A series SoC's?  If so, that actually is quite important.

  • Reply 28 of 57
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    zinthar wrote: »
    Would that include the teams that develop the Apple A series SoC's?  If so, that actually is quite important.
    That's correct.
  • Reply 29 of 57
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    Kevin Lynch, who was hired away from Adobe, reports directly to Mansfield. His title is VP of Technologies. He's definitely one possibility to take over Mansfield's role.
    hmm...does he have experience in hardware, specifically semiconductors?
  • Reply 30 of 57

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rogifan View Post





    hmm...does he have experience in hardware, specifically semiconductors?


    Don't know about that but he definitely has experience in leading software engineering teams. He was CTO of Adobe and potential-in-waiting for the CEO role. Maybe software / hardware integration is one area where he utilize his talents.

  • Reply 31 of 57


    Mark Gurman, who writes for 9to5Mac, just tweeted, that maybe another possibility Mansfield is no longer SVP, is that the Technologies Division could have gotten folded back into the Hardware Division.  

  • Reply 32 of 57
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member
    Mark Gurman, who writes for 9to5Mac, just tweeted, that maybe another possibility Mansfield is no longer SVP, is that the Technologies Division could have gotten folded back into the Hardware Division.  
    WTF was it created for then? How many big companies create positions/divisions only to fold them after less than one year? :\
  • Reply 33 of 57
    mdriftmeyermdriftmeyer Posts: 7,503member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Shameer Mulji View Post


    Don't know about that but he definitely has experience in leading software engineering teams. He was CTO of Adobe and potential-in-waiting for the CEO role. Maybe software / hardware integration is one area where he utilize his talents.



     


    Which doesn't have a damn thing to do with leading Engineering Teams that are actual EE/ME teams.

  • Reply 34 of 57
    phone-ui-guyphone-ui-guy Posts: 1,019member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Rogifan View Post




    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Shameer Mulji View Post



    Mark Gurman, who writes for 9to5Mac, just tweeted, that maybe another possibility Mansfield is no longer SVP, is that the Technologies Division could have gotten folded back into the Hardware Division.  


    WTF was it created for then? How many big companies create positions/divisions only to fold them after less than one year? image


     


     


    Just about every big company does this sort of thing. They wanted him to stay and made it the most attractive they could at the time. He probably wants to sit on the beach at this point. Letting him tinker in the labs is the next step before he finally retires. I'm glad that he is sticking around at all. So much knowledge is lost when these people leave. Having them around to mentor their replacements or guide special projects is a win for both the company and the individual. 

  • Reply 35 of 57
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member

    Just about every big company does this sort of thing. They wanted him to stay and made it the most attractive they could at the time. He probably wants to sit on the beach at this point. Letting him tinker in the labs is the next step before he finally retires. I'm glad that he is sticking around at all. So much knowledge is lost when these people leave. Having them around to mentor their replacements or guide special projects is a win for both the company and the individual. 
    Hmm...I still think it's odd that they'd create a SVP of Technologies position and 8 months later get rid of it. Maybe they're not getting rid of it, and someone will be replacing Mansfield. But that seems like something you'd announce in a press release and not take him off the exec page until you announced it and had a replacement in place. Cook said this team had ambitious plans for the future so it would be nice to know if its still going to exist and who will be leading it.

    But some labor rights watch dog is dinging Pegatron Alan Apple for abuses so that's all that will dominate Apple news today. AP, Reuters, Bloomberg, WSJ are already reporting it.
  • Reply 36 of 57
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,322moderator
    Just about every big company does this sort of thing. They wanted him to stay and made it the most attractive they could at the time. He probably wants to sit on the beach at this point. Letting him tinker in the labs is the next step before he finally retires. I'm glad that he is sticking around at all. So much knowledge is lost when these people leave. Having them around to mentor their replacements or guide special projects is a win for both the company and the individual.

    Yeah, he already tried to retire. People don't want to work forever, especially 60+ hour weeks. Mansfield is 55/56 years old and probably made over $16m since just last year.

    I assume he stayed on to adequately train his successor, either Dan Riccio or someone else. Rather than have an abrupt exit, he can scale down his role before retiring.
  • Reply 37 of 57
    evilutionevilution Posts: 1,399member
    The iOS 7 app icons are VERY amateurish looking -- very UN-Apple, IMHO. Not impressed.

    Oh noes?
    A very small minority don't like ios7, Apple is properly doomed now.
  • Reply 38 of 57
    Bob loves working at Apple and doing research on the latest tech.
    He doesn't like sitting in meetings all day.
    This will allow him to spend more time doing what he is best at.
    I'm sure he will continue to meet directly with Tim Cook to keep him apprised of any developments.
  • Reply 39 of 57
    ulfoafulfoaf Posts: 175member
    Generally when an executive appears to be demoted and put on a "special project," that special project was something he was already in charge of that isn't going well. He is then asked to put his full attention on it. I have seen this a number of times in different industries.
  • Reply 40 of 57
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    evilution wrote: »
    A very small minority don't like ios7…

    Small, huh?
Sign In or Register to comment.