It’s been quite the week for Apple personnel changes. Apple Newsroom:

Apple today announced that Jennifer Newstead will become Apple’s general counsel on March 1, 2026, following a transition of duties from Kate Adams, who has served as Apple’s general counsel since 2017. She will join Apple as senior vice president in January, reporting to CEO Tim Cook and serving on Apple’s executive team.

In addition, Lisa Jackson, vice president for Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives, will retire in late January 2026. The Government Affairs organization will transition to Adams, who will oversee the team until her retirement late next year, after which it will be led by Newstead. Newstead’s title will become senior vice president, General Counsel and Government Affairs, reflecting the combining of the two organizations. The Environment and Social Initiatives teams will report to Apple chief operating officer Sabih Khan.

Newstead joins Apple from Meta, where she was the chief legal officer. Quite the executive exchange. I’ll bet Apple got the better end of the bargain.

With this string of departures, perhaps Tim Cook actually is planning a near-term exit and these retirements are all about clearing the decks so it won’t seem like they’re bailing on the new guy.

No doubt Adams will be missed, but on a personal level, it’s Lisa Jackson’s departure that I think is most relevant and impactful.

I was deeply fortunate to have worked with her while I was co-chair for Apple’s African-American Employee Association/Black@Apple group (what Apple calls “Diversity Network Associations” or DNAs), and she was the DNA’s “executive sponsor.” Jackson was always extremely supportive of our efforts to build community among our Black employees and to host meaningful conversations that emphasized the cultural impact of Black contributions to society. It was through her efforts that we hosted such luminaries as Congressman John Lewis, Bryan Stevenson, Floyd Norman, and Carla Harris.

I understand moving her Environment team under Sabih Khan, Apple’s COO—it’s directly tied to Apple’s bottom line—but it troubles me that her Social Initiatives team will also move under Khan. For instance, I can’t help but wonder what will become of the Racial Equity and Justice Initiative (REJI) she championed and led. Social Initiatives aren’t an “operational” issue, simply one more set of dials to turn to make Apple more efficient or profitable. With ongoing pressure from the Trump administration to abandon diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives (which other tech companies like Microsoft seem happy to do), I worry that with Jackson’s departure, Apple could be the next to end its diversity and inclusion practices. No doubt her leadership here will be missed.