RUMOR: Apple design chief Jony Ive ‘at loggerheads’ with Apple over desire to spend more time in England

“The British designer behind Apple’s iconic iPods, iPads and iPhones is reportedly set to scoop an £18million windfall from shares in the company,” The Daily Mail reports.

“Said to be the result of a 2008 ‘golden handcuffs’ deal which tied him to Apple for three years, the money will propel creator Jonathan Ive into the ranks of The Sunday Times Rich List with a fortune of more than £80million,” The Daily Mail reports. “But despite his Stateside success, the British-born designer is said to be ‘at loggerheads’ with the Apple board over his plans to spend more time back in the UK.”

The Daily Mail reports, “He and wife Heather, who met while they were studying at Newcastle Polytechnic, are said to want to educate their twins in England. A friend of the family told The Sunday Times: ‘Unfortunately he is just too valuable to Apple and they told him in no uncertain terms that if he headed back to England he would not be able to sustain his position with them.'”

Read more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Take: FaceTime.

49 Comments

  1. I agree with twodales, total hokum.

    I actually heard a friend of the family telling a friend of a friend that they were happy in L.A. and wanted to school their children in Compton.

    Will the Daily Mail publish my rumor?

  2. It’s understandable to want your children to have a better education. US system is one of the poorest amongst all industrialized countries. No child left behind results in all children being pushed ahead regardless of academic achievement or learning. DDBAR

    (Dumbed Down Beyond All Recognition)

    1. I have no doubt that Ive and his wife can easily afford a good private school in their area, in which case the quality of education is quite proportionate to the amount of money you spend.

      On the other hand, I can understand if he wanted to preserve their ethnic identity and heritage. American schools, even private ones, tend to powerfully assimilate the children of immigrants into the culture (one of the things that defines America). Immigrant parents aren’t exactly always thrilled by this assimilation force. About the only schools on the US soil where such force isn’t that present are international schools (there are a few in NYC; I don’t know if SF and area have any).

  3. now that it looks like Jobs may not be ceo for long, everyone else under him think they are the cat’s meow and want the spot.

    also Ive was worked hand in hand with jobs. now with him gone it’s not the same for him anymore. this guy doesn’t want to work with or for anyone else. it wouldnt be the same.

    he also has made lots of money, so why not take a early retirement.

    1. I am a graduate of what is considered a very elite private school in one of the New England states.I later graduated from MIT. Oddly enough, many of my former classmates were here from abroad. Given that I have also spent an extensive amount of time in the UK and have friends who send their children to school in the UK and in the US, they have found there are many schools in the US superior. If the concern is over developing a Yankee accent, I suggest Jonathan develop a proper British one. Education begins in the home.

      1. I don’t think Ive is concerned so much about the quality of US education. He can clearly afford better than whatever public education has to offer, and even public education varies greatly by quality and with some proper research, he could easily find an excellent school not far from Cupertino.

        It is probably more likely that he is just weary of the powerful cultural assimilation that happens to immigrants’ children in American schools. This is something that most immigrants try to avoid as much as they can, and something that is usually rather difficult to prevent.

  4. “FaceTime”

    You’re kidding right? This is where Ives gives Jobs a FaceTime call and says, “I quit”?

    Here’s a resume: “I designed the f*cking iPod. Ever heard of it?” He can work at any company he wants in the world, for any money he wants.

    This, besides Jobs, is the most important man at Apple right now, and while he is being paid very well (for basically designing a generation of tech products, and astounding accomplishment) he also need to be accomodated. You can’t strong arm the guy, because he has OPTIONSSSSSSSS.

      1. Maybe it’s not about the money. He might just want his children to have British culture and values. He should get them out before it’s too late. The Public School system in England is well suited to parents on foreign expeditions. Maybe he could visit on school holidays.

  5. Assuming for a moment that this report is true, Apple needs to do whatever necessary to keep Ive on board. Others may direct the concepts, but it has been Ive who has executed the iconic designs. He has earned the reward of working from any damn place he wants to. In a split, it is Apple that will lose.

  6. So now the media mischief makers are putting vital Apple personnel “at loggerheads” with the company. What next, a reported fist fight between Cook and someone else over who gets to use the executive washroom?

    1. I’m not saying the report is true or false, but seriously, how do you know? Maybe Jony would like to return to his roots to raise his kids.. He is worth 130 million, maybe he’s planning to retire..

      Are you just guessing, or do you have some inside knowledge?

  7. ‘Unfortunately he is just too valuable to Apple and they told him in no uncertain terms that if he headed back to England he would not be able to sustain his position with them.’

    See, this makes NO sense… surely if he was that valuable to them they would make allowances for him more UK time in order to KEEP him rather then letting some other company headhunt him…. I call BS!

  8. Simple fact is he could start his own company any time he likes and earn a fortune so not a matter of working for some one else unless he prefers to. Its amazing he hasn’t done his own thing a lot already but clearly will at some stage likely go in that direction after all he could employ practically any worthwhile up and coming group of designers he chose and probably the clients too. Time will tell. If he sees his future back here eventually then it i understandable that he would wish his children to experience his own heritage. As for the pathetic comment above about developing a proper British accent I can only presume that the writer has been watching too much Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins of late.

  9. He wants to be back home with wife and children. Why does that any require analyzing? He and Apple will figure something out.

    Hint: The guy has a life and wants to be part of it.
    /Hint:

  10. Ive can be single-handedly be credited for heading up design on the “iConic” iMac(s), iPods, iPhones, iPads, MacPros, thereby changing Apple’s fortunes forever, and Apple’s gonna say F*** him?

    LOL. Hahahahahaha!

    “Loggerheads” must be a new term for dull journalists.

  11. First, I doubt very much that Ives wants the CEO job. I know a lot of designers, and creative people need to operate in a space where they are not distracted by administrative and political issues. I also doubt he has ever been in serious consideration for the job – the skill-set is too different.

    Perhaps he is concerned, not about an accent (silly comment) but about the values his children will acquire. The American value system, with its predominant focus on material wealth, is very different to that of Britain.

    Perhaps also, Ives can see the writing on the wall for the USA. The level of hostility from the American right, and their determination to impose their values on the US as a whole, is quite shocking to most people with European values. The US appears to be determined on a course of self-destruction – perhaps Ives wants a more stable, cultured, kinder, intellectual and inclusive environment for his children.

    But, as someone suggests, it is just a Daily Mail beat-up. Like Fox News, the Daily Mail is not much concerned about truth or balance, and it is aimed at readers who are not much interested in understanding the issues of the day – appealing, just like Fox, to prejudice and ignorance.

    We’ll find out soon enough. If he leaves, I am sure there are those amongst his outstanding design team who can step forward and fill his boots.

  12. ps: the report was in the Sunday Times, not the Daily Mail. This once highly respected newspaper is owned by Murdoch (as is Fox). That opens up a pile of unpleasant possibilities – perhaps Murdoch is not pleased with Apple’s attitude to the launch of The Daily and applying pressure.

  13. I agree that, if Jony and his wife want to raise their kids in the UK that Apple should respect that and work out a deal with him. It might involve setting up a design facility and moving some members of the design team to the UK. It may involve providing transportation between the UK and US locations etc. It may lead to the invention of even better communication systems between different locations. That’s why Apple has about 60 billion in cash-so that it can be flexible and do what it needs to do in the best interests of business and customers.

    I also found that statement in the story, to the effect that, Jony is so valuable that we have to let him go; to be an absurd contradiction.

    I seem to recall Job’s having said that Jony was his best friend.

    I sure hope that Jony stays happily with Apple.

  14. Why wouldn’t they just build a virtual conference room where he is as available as if he was with them. They could put in on of those full size screens like on CNN. For the ROI they could spend a few million for state of the art facilities. He could probably work out monthly trips in addition to the conference room and summers. He just has to work on Cupertino hours.

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