In brief: Apple designer Jony Ive officially left the Cupertino-based company in 2019 to start his own design firm, LoveFrom. Ive didn't cut ties with Apple entirely, however, as Tim Cook and company would become one of the firm's primary clients. That's no longer the case.
Sources familiar with the matter told The New York Times that Apple and Ive's company have agreed to end their partnership, completing a multi-year contract that Apple signed with LoveFrom reportedly worth more than $100 million.
Per the publication's sources, the deal prevented Ive from working on products that Apple thought would compete with its own offerings.
As the contract came up for renewal in recent weeks, both sides decided not to push for an extension. Sources told the Times that some Apple executives were concerned with how much Apple was paying for Ive's services. Others were frustrated that some designers had departed to join Ive's firm. Ive himself was also reportedly interested in taking on clients without needing Apple's permission.
Ive joined Apple in 1992 and was instrumental in the company's revival once Jobs returned to the helm. His first major project was the iMac, and he went on to take part in the creation of several other key products including the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad and the Apple Watch.
Image credit: Jim Wilson, The New York Times, Pixabay