Apple’s Key Decision-Makers Behind Upcoming Mixed-Reality Headset

Apple is just a few weeks away from debuting its mixed-reality headset. This past week, I gave an in-depth look at the device’s development and features. Now, here’s a list of the key people involved in the project. Also: Apple pivots to clothing and details iOS 17’s new accessibility features, while ChatGPT comes to the iPhone.

The Starters

Apple Inc. has thousands of employees working on its upcoming mixed-reality headset, including executives, marketers and engineers. But there are a handful of people who have been especially critical to the seven-year-plus effort, which could be the company’s riskiest product launch in decades.

That cadre includes top lieutenants to Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook and executives from the company’s Technology Development Group, the secretive team behind the device. There’s also someone on that list who is no longer at the company, but still casts a shadow over Apple’s product strategy.

Here are the people who helped steer Apple into the world of mixed reality:

Mike Rockwell: Rockwell is in charge of the product and has led its development since around 2016. He has helped craft the vision for the headset and the Technology Development Group itself, and oversees engineering of the product — from hardware to software to services. While there has been skepticism that the device will become a smash hit, some are optimistic simply because of Rockwell’s involvement. “He’s an utter genius and if anyone can get this done, it’s him,” said a person involved in the development who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly. Look for Rockwell to be one of the faces of the headset when it’s introduced.

Jeff Williams: Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer, has been a driving force in the headset’s development for the last few years. He’s often seen as an heir apparent to Cook, and the current CEO has leaned on Williams to make the product a success. He’s in charge of Apple’s design team — including the human interface group that has conceptualized many of the device’s use cases and its overall vision. His group is also in charge of manufacturing the equipment itself, which is known internally as the most complex product Apple has ever designed. 

Dan Riccio: Riccio is Rockwell’s boss and the conduit between the Technology Development Group and Apple’s top executive team. He has worked exclusively on the headset over the past two years, following a stint as Apple’s hardware engineering chief. He’s likely to retire not too long after the headset’s release, and some involved in the development believe Riccio sees this as a legacy-defining product. He previously oversaw two other products — a full TV set and a car — that were either canceled or delayed...

Read the rest of this column for the rest of the list and to get access to Mark's takes on the biggest Apple news of the week and more on Bloomberg.com here for free. 

You can subscribe to Power On here to get this column in your inbox every week and paid subscribers get the email an hour early plus access to the Post Game Q&A. Here are this week's questions:

Q: What’s the latest on Apple’s MicroLED project, and will the company bring those screens to the iPhone?

Q: How do you think the Apple headset will do?

Q: Where do you think Apple stands with its artificial intelligence and machine learning efforts?