Apple’s chief operating officer plans to hand the role off this month and retire later this year after roughly a decade as the tech giant’s No. 2 under Chief Executive Tim Cook.

Operations king Jeff Williams abdicates – just don't give him a watch Apple Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams is stepping down from his role next month and leaving the company later this year to spend more time with friends and family.

Apple CEO Tim Cook is about to take over one of the most significant parts of Apple’s business: its design team. The team currently reports to COO Jeff Williams, but once Williams begins his just-announced retirement “late in the year,” the design team “will then transition to reporting directly to Cook,” Apple says.