Apple Executive Dan Riccio Reportedly 'Nearing Retirement' Following Vision Pro Launch

[MacRumors]

Apple's former hardware engineering chief Dan Riccio told colleagues he is "nearing retirement" after more than 25 years at the company, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.

John Ternus succeeded Riccio as Apple's Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering in 2021. That year, Apple said Riccio would "transition to a new role focusing on a new project," which Gurman said was the Vision Pro headset.

Here is how Apple described Riccio when it announced that transition in 2021:

Riccio has been a leader in designing, developing, and engineering almost all of Apple's products. From the first generation iMac to the more recent 5G iPhone lineup, M1-based Macs, and AirPods Max, Riccio built the Hardware Engineering teams and scaled Apple's ability to innovate across multiple new product lines with the highest quality. After joining Apple in 1998 as a leader on the Product Design team, Riccio became vice president of iPad Hardware Engineering in 2010, and in 2012 he joined the executive team as the leader of Hardware Engineering.

Here is what Riccio said in that press release:

Working at Apple has been the opportunity of a lifetime, spent making the world's best products with the most talented people you could imagine. After 23 years of leading our Product Design or Hardware Engineering teams — culminating with our biggest and most ambitious product year ever — it's the right time for a change. Next up, I'm looking forward to doing what I love most — focusing all my time and energy at Apple on creating something new and wonderful that I couldn't be more excited about.

Apple launched the Vision Pro in the U.S. in early February, and it said the headset will be released in additional countries later this year.

There is no timeframe for Riccio's retirement, as Gurman said specific details related to his planned departure are still being worked out.

Article Link: Apple Executive Dan Riccio Reportedly 'Nearing Retirement' Following Vision Pro Launch

 

[maternidad]

John Ternus is, like, hot …

 

[topmounter]

I remember the Vision Pro. Good times.

 

[Apple Knowledge Navigator]

Man look at those eyebrows, you could set your watch to them

 

[LeeW]

He is bailing before the **** hits the fan over VP.

 

[Mrkevinfinnerty]

I felt like giving up when i saw it aswell.

 

[Johnstrass2]

If I were Apple, I'd be issuing releases about the NEW design team members. As it is, it appears to be a brain drain

 

[jz0309]

Happy retirement, well deserved

 

[scrapesleon]

when Tim Cook gonna retire or resign enough is enough

 

[javisan]

25 years at Apple. That 401k and stock grants received should last him several lifetimes…

 

[michaeljk]

I gotta believe this guy is rolling in the dough. Can you imagine how much Apple would need to pay him to keep the poachers at bay after all that he knows about Apple's design DNA?

 

[macvicta]

when Tim Cook gonna retire or resign enough is enough

Shareholders will not be happy to see Tim go.

 

[Bokito]

As he was reportedly running the Vision Pro group that project might be handed over to Kevin Lynch, now he is out running the Apple car project I guess. The thing where the Vision Pro might need some work is software (Personas anyone?) and Lynch is a software guy, so that might be a good fit.

Rocio was always a Mac advocate and I applaud him for that. I hope that spirit in Apple doesn’t retire with him.

 

[Eso]

This made me think of when Steven Sinofsky (the President of Windows) resigned just 2 weeks after the release of Windows 8

 

[Avatar74]

He is bailing before the **** hits the fan over VP.

Dude is 61. I manage teams around the world and it's f---ing stressful. I'm 49. My blood pressure yesterday morning was 178/100. If I'm not retired by 61 I'll probably die, and I don't make anywhere near what Riccio makes.

I'm not a fan of AVP, and I've no dog in the VR hunt (never going to buy a VR device in my lifetime), but the level of discourse on these boards sometimes gets so reductive like a child's understanding of what adults do at work... Y'all need to calm down.

 

[desslr]

This made me think of when Steven Sinofsky (the President of Windows) resigned just 2 weeks after the release of Windows 8

Exactly my thought!

Apple have no doubt suggested retirement after the Vision Pro flop. 😂

 

[sw1tcher]

John Ternus succeeded Riccio as Apple's Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering in 2021. That year, Apple said Riccio would "transition to a new role focusing on a new project," which Gurman said was the Vision Pro headset.

Here is how Apple described Riccio when it announced that transition in 2021:

Riccio has been a leader in designing, developing, and engineering almost all of Apple's products. From the first generation iMac to the more recent 5G iPhone lineup, M1-based Macs, and AirPods Max, Riccio built the Hardware Engineering teams and scaled Apple's ability to innovate across multiple new product lines with the highest quality.

Maybe Riccio shouldn't be leaving on this "highest quality" note

Handful of Apple Vision Pro Units Develop Identical Crack in Cover Glass

A small number of Apple Vision Pro owners have claimed that their headsets developed a hairline crack down the middle of the front cover glass,...

www.macrumors.com

 

[nfl46]

Exactly my thought!

Apple have no doubt suggested retirement after the Vision Pro flop. 😂

I wouldn’t call it a flop. It was priced at $3,500 and has sold over 200,000 units. It would have easily sold millions upon millions if it was priced at $499 like the Quest 3. Obviously, pricing it that low isn’t realistic due to the tech it offers, but I’m just saying. It’s clear that Apple didn’t want it to be a huge commercial success with the large starting price.

 

[Lounge vibes 05]

Dude is 61. I manage teams around the world and it's f---ing stressful. I'm 49. My blood pressure yesterday morning was 178/100. If I'm not retired by 61 I'll probably die, and I don't make anywhere near what Riccio makes.

I'm not a fan of AVP, and I've no dog in the VR hunt (never going to buy a VR device in my lifetime), but the level of discourse on these boards sometimes gets so reductive like a child's understanding of what adults do at work... Y'all need to calm down.

Dude is 61. I manage teams around the world and it's f---ing stressful. I'm 49. My blood pressure yesterday morning was 178/100. If I'm not retired by 61 I'll probably die, and I don't make anywhere near what Riccio makes.

I'm not a fan of AVP, and I've no dog in the VR hunt (never going to buy a VR device in my lifetime), but the level of discourse on these boards sometimes gets so reductive like a child's understanding of what adults do at work... Y'all need to calm down.

You’d be surprised, most people on these boards ( just going off of most posts on these boards) think that Tim Cook is literally the only guy at the company.
Like the entire company is just one guy, deciding which features get added, which bugs get fixed, which price point the new product will be at.
When the reality is that it’s thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands of people all compromising to make the best decision possible.

 

[Avatar74]

You’d be surprised, most people on these boards ( just going off of most posts on these boards) think that Tim Cook is literally the only guy at the company.
Like the entire company is just one guy, deciding which features get added, which bugs get fixed, which price point the new product will be at.
When the reality is that it’s thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands of people all compromising to make the best decision possible.

I'm not surprised. It's a reflection of the fact that most people don't work in tech. I'm a 25+ year veteran of the industry.

What I think isn't surprising but concerning is the degree to which the internet promotes uninformed hot takes... that isn't as much the case here with the traditional message board structure of Macrumors but it is so prevalent across algorithm-driven social media that people are just used to being rewarded for saying things that have no foundation in reality. Our culture tolerates this at the highest levels, so it's not entirely surprising that it shows up on message boards every so often.

 

[User 6502]

Vision Pro is enough of a disaster to end anyone’s career.

 

[dynamojoe]

This made me think of when Steven Sinofsky (the President of Windows) resigned just 2 weeks after the release of Windows 8

Which, in retrospect, maybe was a loss. Look at what Windows is now. Windows 8 is practically a privacy-respecting paragon of usability compared to Win11's invasiveness.

 

[Chazak]

As I read the article and moved to the comments, I wondered how many comments I would get through before someone insinuated something nefarious or a conspiracy like was behind his departure. It took four comments.

This is a normal, well deserved retirement. Not a conspiracy or bailout or anything else some would have us believe. The guy is 61 and probably doesn't ever have to work again unless he wants to. Life is short. He should enjoy the rest of his in the way he wants to without a bunch of technophiles on websites alluding to mysterious goings on and conspiracies.

 

[macvicta]

Dude is 61. I manage teams around the world and it's f---ing stressful. I'm 49. My blood pressure yesterday morning was 178/100. If I'm not retired by 61 I'll probably die, and I don't make anywhere near what Riccio makes.

I'm not a fan of AVP, and I've no dog in the VR hunt (never going to buy a VR device in my lifetime), but the level of discourse on these boards sometimes gets so reductive like a child's understanding of what adults do at work... Y'all need to calm down.

Get more potassium in your diet. I started eating fruit everyday, including bananas and prunes, and it finally got my blood pressure to normal despite being on two different meds for it.

 

[Chazak]

I'm not surprised. It's a reflection of the fact that most people don't work in tech. I'm a 25+ year veteran of the industry.

What I think isn't surprising but concerning is the degree to which the internet promotes uninformed hot takes... that isn't as much the case here with the traditional message board structure of Macrumors but it is so prevalent across algorithm-driven social media that people are just used to being rewarded for saying things that have no foundation in reality. Our culture tolerates this at the highest levels, so it's not entirely surprising that it shows up on message boards every so often.

It's also a reflection that the vast majority of people on these boards have little or no experience in management, leadership and strategic planning. Add that to understanding little if anything about corporate finance and what you get is what we see on boards everyday - great, educated tech people who work in development, coding, creative arts, etc. and are very good in their specialties, but who know very little about running a business, especially a large, diverse multinational. I am constantly shaking my head over their comments regarding what I just mentioned.