Angela Ahrendts Departing Apple in April, Deirdre O'Brien to Oversee Retail and People

[Mr_Brightside_@]

Anyone hating on Angela has no clue how bad things were under Browett

 

[5105973]

My husband and I check ourselves out when we can find something available on the shelves. Every time I walk out with a watchband without having spoken to an employee, I half expect someone to yell "Stop! Thief!"

It's convenient yet rather disconcerting.

 

[Glockworkorange]

She wore posh coats.

That was about it.

She is/was pretty put together---I'll give her this---she always looked great!

 

[Carnegie]

Yeah... I forgot to add that was just signing bonus ( buy out from old company and "retention". ). That was just to get her to show up. The issue is more along the lines that "retention" part really doesn't seem to have worked all that well for the huge amount of money spent.

To some extent that is an HR issue. Although the board of dir and senior C-level exes were driving it huge amounts, there is such a thing as throwing "too much" money at folks. It often doesn't work as well as some folks think it does.


That she got an income on top of that is somewhat different than "still here and breathing".

I'd say that, to the extent her original RSU award was meant (and needed) to encourage her to stay for a while, it seems to have worked. She stayed more than long enough to see all of her RSUs (from that award) vest. But as you allude, that original RSU award was largely about compensating her for what she was losing by leaving Burberry when she did.

That said, that original RSU award wasn't really structured for long-term retention purposes. The great majority of her RSUs (about 80%) vested within 26 months. And almost all of them (nearly 99%) vested within 38 months. If she leaves in April, she'll have stayed on almost 2 years past that point.

If anything (relating to compensation) would have encouraged her to stay for a while it would have been the annual RSU awards that she, like the other SVPs, got. Those were structured such that they didn't start to vest for about 2-1/2 years, and didn't finish vesting for about 4-1/2 years, from the dates they were awarded.

 

[Glockworkorange]

Actually - quoting myself - you know what was the most disturbing thing? I noticed that as I approached the iPhone and Mac tables nobody asked me if I needed help. As soon as I approached the accessories shelves at least two employees asked me if I needed help. On both sides of the store.
Does this happen everywhere? was it just a single case?

My experience was no help.

 

[Canyonero]

Surprised, in a good way. The only positive change to Apple Stores during her tenure was the upgraded design of the stores and I believe 99% of that was thanks to Jony and his team, not Angela.

The idea to drop Store from the name was ridiculous, even if you ask Siri to give directions to just Apple, it doesn’t know what the hell you're asking for. Try saying to your friend “Wanna go to Apple?” and everybody will be like what?

She obviously lived in a bubble, removed from reality with lofty and probably good meaning aspirations but it’s not what people were looking for (community spaces, Today at Apple). It’s sad that she got tens of millions for a job that many could have done better for much less.

At least she wasn’t a complete disaster and didn’t completely ruin the store experience so whoever comes next can still easily steer the ship around, they’ve got a solid base to build on.

 

[tridley68]

See Ya lady don't let that door hit you in the you know what on the way out now time for Apple to get someone in that can actually do something.

 

[tw1ll]

Departure announced......zero stock price movement....says it all really. Good riddance, but not before pocketing millions of profits that should have gone to shareholders.

 

[DarrenSW]

Anyone hating on Angela has no clue how bad things were under Browett

Anyone from the UK who had even the briefest experience in a Dixons/Currys/PC World store knew precisely how that little episode was going to end. What in the world Cook was thinking of when he okayed that hire will always be beyond me...

 

[Glockworkorange]

...wonder if it was because of disagreement or another reason yet to be seen. Opportunity offered to her to become another CEO of a company? Or was it that she really never fit a technology company and that the entire pursuit of becoming a fashionable brand failed with those little popup Apple Watch boutique stores?

I really don't enjoy walking into Apple stores anymore. In fact when family members or friends are with me at malls and say they want to pop into Apple I come up with reasons for why I don't want to or ideas of things to keep my time while they visit on their own. As far as the experience of walking into these temples, the only feeling I ever get is negative. It's like walking into a giant cell phone store with pretty glass ceilings and wooden tables. The staff always feels artistic but underpaid, caged and worked to death. I see the staff roaming around the store but I'm never helped even when I'm holding a product that I very obviously want to buy. My last service for my watch took hours - spending much of that time waiting at a table for a "genius" to walk up (even with an appointment).

I agree with everything you said.

I'm looking forward to the "Apple Web's "attempts to turn her into a saint. I am sure Rene Ritchie will make a video absolutely singing her praises.

I think a lot of the posters have the right idea---I suspect Apple really thought the Watch was going to become a legit fashion item. That never happened. I don't think that was because of her, but when the watch flopped as a fashion piece, I think it took away a lot of her value. She was overpaid. I bet Tim Cook personally liked her but probably regrets what they paid her.

He's swung and missed on two heads of retail now.
[doublepost=1549411010][/doublepost]

Let’s face it. The stores need improvement and she might hav been the scapegoat for the lowered guidance.

The stores need to SEPARATE service and sales, just like a car dealership. WAY too many people waiting around for service and getting in the way.

x 1,000
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Does anyone here at MR like any of the current Apple team ever ? Answers on a postcard...

I think Schiller is fine.

Bring back Forstall!

 

[Lioness~]

Well judging by posts here on MacRumours this news is going to make many people happy…

Won't miss her, she was too cold, never felt she would stay long anyway. This was too long. This change will be very good for Apple and the atmosphere at Apple Stores

She will be missed

Doubt it

 

[BigHonkingDeal]

I honestly believe she hurt Apple retail.

Well, she gave us the gold $14K Apple Watch Edition.... and all the trimmings.

 

[Glockworkorange]

As a guy, I’m pretty disgusted with the misogyny directed at Angela whenever there’s a story about her. Talking about her tenure is fair game, but talking about her clothes and gestures is pretty gross.

What if it's a complement? Can I complement her? I always thought she looked great. I posted that earlier. Is that gross?

 

[madKIR]

Angela was too expensive. Apple is downsizing now amid the sales slowdown. I think we’ll see way more changes with their staff.

 

[Glockworkorange]

Does one need to be concerned about all injustices in order to be permitted to be concerned by any injustice?

If you think criticizing the way someone dresses is an "injustice," perhaps you don't understand the meaning of the word "injustice."

And I'm on record saying she always looked fantastic.

 

[albebaubles]

Did she do anything while at Apple?

Tried to sell a $10k watch

 

[Glockworkorange]

Truly loved Angela for her empathy. She was a true shining star at Apple. A real shame that Apple is loosing such a valued Lady. Apple is very much worse off for this.
Always very very very bad for a company when their true inspirers leave and never a good advert for a company either when staff leave!

I'd like to know how you have such a keen insight on her power of empathy. It's remarkable.

 

[Mr_Brightside_@]

What if it's a complement? Can I complement her? I always thought she looked great. I posted that earlier. Is that gross?

Do you know what the word misogyny means?

 

[albebaubles]

Stayed long enough for her initial shares to vest?

 

[Glockworkorange]

Absolute rubbish. You cannot teach empathy or integrity to people, it's something that is in their soul. Tech people do not make mentors. Angela is a people person, there's enough tech people already at Apple.

You must know her well.
[doublepost=1549412010][/doublepost]

Do you know what the word misogyny means?

I know when someone is perpetually offended or seeks out the opportunity to be offended.

 

[Foxglove9]

Sounds like a great move for Apple. I know a lot of people are unhappy with the service at the Apple Store in the last 2 years, so maybe things will improve who knows.

 

[KPOM]

I bet Ahrendts felt she had accomplished what she set out to do. It was a very creative overhaul. She probably had the time of her life. Now we seem to be moving much more into optimization of operations. (Sustainment, maintenance, optimization.) That may be less attractive.

Most people nowadays change positions every 3-5 yrs. She’s probably ready for a new challenge. Given her comment about missing fashion, maybe this creative freedom reenergized her and she’s ready to go back to the field she enjoys most. And given the optimization of operations stage, O’Brien sounds like a great person to take over. And given all the additional people operations around the training and Today at Apple stuff, her people focus is a natural fit as well.

Looks like once again, people here like to automatically assume the worst of whatever is happening at Apple. Sad, but hardly surprising.

As Rene Ritchie points out, much of what she did was infrastructure. Merging online and physical retail was significant. She also put in place and continually improved the reservation system, which has helped reduce the long lines (even the highly successful iPhone X rollout in 2017 was smooth).

She likely also was key to securing channels for the Apple Watch and the Hermès partnership. Given that Apple was basically figuring out the Watch as it went along, securing those relationships was likely significant, even if ultimately sales reverted to traditional channels. While the Watch didn’t turn out to be as fashion-centric as Apple expected, there was no way for Apple to know that in 2014, and the fashion focus did help raise awareness in the early years.

It’s also worth pointing out that retail in general is struggling, but Apple Retail is still strong. The “experience” changes that people complain about here do drive foot traffic. Otherwise Apple wouldn’t do them.

 

[cymac777]

HR takes over a vital company function: sales.

Run, run, run employees and shareholders run.

HR. Important function. In a tech company.

The roof is on fire.

 

[Abazigal]

As Rene Ritchie points out, much of what she did was infrastructure. Merging online and physical retail was significant. She also put in place and continually improved the reservation system, which has helped reduce the long lines (even the highly successful iPhone X rollout in 2017 was smooth).

She likely also was key to securing channels for the Apple Watch and the Hermès partnership. Given that Apple was basically figuring out the Watch as it went along, securing those relationships was likely significant, even if ultimately sales reverted to traditional channels. While the Watch didn’t turn out to be as fashion-centric as Apple expected, there was no way for Apple to know that in 2014, and the fashion focus did help raise awareness in the early years.

It’s also worth pointing out that retail in general is struggling, but Apple Retail is still strong. The “experience” changes that people complain about here do drive foot traffic. Otherwise Apple wouldn’t do them.

Thanks for the update. I guess the old saying is true. When everything goes well, nobody says anything. When something happens, then everyone starts pointing fingers.

 

[Juicy Box]

That’s because all of the employees don’t do the same thing. If I’m a Genius, I work primarily on Mac’s only. So if there are Phones, Ipad’s, or Watches in the queue, I am told most times to not take them in order to stay available for Mac appointments.

The opposite is also true for Technical Specialists as well as sales.

I think this is expected, but if a customer is waiting to be helped for Macs for 20 minutes, and there are ten iPhone employees just standing around, this is just bad management, bad policy, and/or bad optics. If it was just one time it happened, it wouldn't be a big deal, it just seems like it is all the time now.

Maybe it isn't Angela Ahrendts' policies or fault, but it is still a problem.

I actually liked Apple when it was a niche company.

Apple customers were people who appreciated high quality and attention to detail, even if they had to pay more.

I agree.

For me, the best part about using Apple products back then, specifically the Mac, was the OS. It was well worth the extra cost for the hardware for me to use Apple's software. The competition, which was mostly Windows at the time, was horrible imo. Was not user friendly, and it was too complex. Windows always seemed like it was behind MacOS by at least a few years.

For Apple, "it just works" wasn't just some slogan, it was truly the how I felt about using Apple Products. Now, it has changed to "it just works.... sometimes". Things have definitely changed.

All the complainers, all the negativity you see here on MacRumors, was rare.

There was plenty of negativity when it came to Apple Products, just not from the people that used them.

I miss those days.

I do too.....