Apple named a new operational czar after longtime chief operating officer Jeff Wiliams announced his impending retirement Tuesday. The company promoted Sahib Khan to Williams’ role in what it called a “long planned succession.”
Khan, a 30-year Apple veteran, is rising to COO at a pivotal time for the company. President Donald Trump’s trade policies have significantly impacted Apple’s global supply chain and manufacturing operations. Trump-led tariffs on China and other countries where Apple products are manufactured have added a financial strain to the company. As a result, the business has been actively diversifying its supply chain, shifting some production out of China to countries like India and Vietnam to mitigate tariff impacts. All the while, Trump has called on Apple to move its manufacturing operations into the United States, threatening 25% tariffs on their products should it not comply. Apple has since pledged $500 billion in investments to expand its U.S. facilities.
Aside from global trade wars, Khan’s promotion comes after one of the company’s AI darlings was poached by Meta. Ruoming Pang, head of the foundation models team at Apple, will reportedly be joining Mark Zuckerberg in a major setback for Apple, which has already demonstrated difficulty competing with its peers in the AI race.
Despite global pressures on the company, Apple appears confident in Khan’s ability to weather the current business climate’s enumerable challenges.
“Sabih is a brilliant strategist who has been one of the central architects of Apple’s supply chain,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, in a company press release. “While overseeing Apple’s supply chain, he has helped pioneer new technologies in advanced manufacturing, overseen the expansion of Apple’s manufacturing footprint in the United States, and helped ensure that Apple can be nimble in response to global challenges. He has advanced our ambitious efforts in environmental sustainability, helping reduce Apple’s carbon footprint by more than 60%.”
Wall Street tech analyst Dan Ives expressed similar confidence in Khan’s promotion. “We believe Sabih is the right choice and an integral part of the Apple growth strategy,” he told Fortune in a written statement, noting that the “Trump tariff black cloud” involving China and India will be an issue Khan will have to tackle.
Khan, who joined Apple in 1995, is currently the senior vice president of operations. Originally from Uttar Pradesh, India, Khan’s educational background is in mechanical engineering and economics. He received bachelor’s degrees in economics and mechanical engineering from Tufts University and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Prior to joining Apple, Khan started his career as an engineer at GE Plastics.
Since 2019, Khan has overseen Apple’s global supply chain and ensured product quality. Khan’s responsibilities also include managing Apple’s planning, procurement, manufacturing, logistics, and product-fulfillment duties, and the company’s supplier responsibility programs that “protect and educate workers at production facilities around the world.”
