Apple's top legal and policy leadership is stepping down as the tech giant faces an accelerating wave of executive departures. General Counsel Kate Adams and Environment VP Lisa Jackson are both retiring, marking the latest high-profile exits from Tim Cook's inner circle in recent months.
Apple just announced another major shakeup in its C-suite, with two of Tim Cook's most trusted lieutenants heading for the exits. General Counsel Kate Adams and Vice President for Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives Lisa Jackson are both retiring, the company confirmed Thursday.
The timing couldn't be more telling. These departures come just weeks after Apple's head software designer announced he was jumping to Meta, the company's AI chief decided to retire, and Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams stepped down. What we're seeing isn't just routine turnover - it's a fundamental reshaping of Apple's senior leadership.
Jennifer Newstead will step into Adams' role as general counsel come March, with Jackson's government affairs team rolling up under her expansive new mandate. It's a strategic consolidation that signals how Apple wants to streamline its approach to the regulatory battles ahead.
Adams has been Apple's legal shield since 2017, steering the company through some of its most contentious fights. Under her watch, Apple battled epic antitrust cases over the App Store's 30% commission structure and defended its walled-garden approach against regulators worldwide. She's been the architect behind Apple's privacy-first legal strategy, turning what could have been regulatory headaches into competitive advantages.
But it's Jackson's departure that might sting more. The former EPA Administrator under Barack Obama joined Apple in 2013 and became the company's conscience on environmental and social issues. She didn't just manage Apple's green initiatives - she fundamentally transformed how the company talks about its role in society.
Jackson was the driving force behind Apple's Racial Equity and Justice Initiative, launched after George Floyd's murder in 2020. "At Apple, we pledge that our resolve will not fade," she wrote in the company's 2023 equity report. "We won't delay action. We will work, each and every day, on the urgent task of advancing equity." Under her leadership, Apple expanded these programs to the UK, Mexico, and New Zealand.
