Apple’s In-House Chip Program May Be About To Suffer A Huge Loss

Apple has had a bit of a shakeup recently, with some senior executives headed for the exit. Rumors have also been swirling that Tim Cook may step down as CEO next year. The latest rumor suggests that Johny Srouji, senior vice president of hardware technologies, and one of the leaders responsible for the success of Apple silicon, may be leaving--at least according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.

Johny Srouji has been at the helm of Apple's silicon initiative since 2014. He has overseen everything from the S series chips powering the Apple Watch to the M series chips found in Macs. Moreover, he’s likely played a key role in developing the company’s own 5G modern too.


Should he actually leave Apple, his departure would reach beyond the future direction of Apple Silicon. Srouji has also been Apple's key liaison to TSMC, the foundry it works with for chip production, to negotiate scheduling and ensure Apple is prioritized for precious foundry capacity.

If Srouji does decide to depart, however, the company has options. CPU designer Zongjian Chen and SoC integration specialist Sribalan Santhanam have plenty of experience working for Srouji, and have likely leaned a thing or two from him. Although it’s unknown if either has the chops to handle every aspect of Srouji's purview.

While there’s a lot to be excited about in Apple's roadmap, which includes a foldable iPhone, what lies beyond that is uncertain. If the company does lose Srouji, it could prove a serious problem for future silicon and hardware projects.