Bob Mansfield leaves Apple exec team


All Things D:

"Bob is no longer going to be on Apple's executive team, but will remain at Apple working on special projects reporting to [CEO] Tim [Cook]," company spokesman Steve Dowling told AllThingsD. He declined any further explanation, refusing to comment on the reasons behind Mansfield's surprising move, whether he remains Apple's SVP of Technologies or whether the company plans to appoint a new executive to that role.

Mansfield tried to retire from Apple almost a year ago, but decided to come back for two years. Apple is reportedly paying Mansfield $2 million a month to delay his retirement. Presumably, this appointment was to ease transitioning the exit of one of Apple's key leaders. The sudden removal from the executive team is in deed curious. It will be interesting to see if Apple installs a new exec to complete that transition and whether Mansfield completes his two year of contract.