A second sign of change might be the departure of Jackson, who served as US Environmental Protection Agency head in the Obama administration. She has been instrumental in guiding Apple toward its oft-stated target to be completely carbon neutral by 2030. Apple CEO Tim Cook praised her for, “advocating for the best interests of our users on a myriad of topics, as well as advancing our values, from education and accessibility to privacy and security.”
What’s unusual here is that there doesn’t appear to be a clear succession path for this role, which seems odd given the depth of talent Apple already has within Jackson’s departments. Apple says Jackson’s Environment and Social Initiatives team will report to Apple’s Chief Operating Officer (COO), Sabih Khan, while work on government affairs will transition to Apple’s former general counsel, Kate Adams, for a while until it becomes part of Adams’ new domain.
Who will advocate now?
It is important not to read too much into this, but these leadership changes do make it easier to think there might be no one at Apple’s top table to advocate over some of the environment, social, and government affairs the company has regularly shown leadership in across the last decade.
