Apple (AAPL) Environment/Gov Affairs Chief Lisa Jackson and general counsel to leave company

view original post

Apple VP of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives Lisa Jackson and General Counsel Kate Adams are preparing to retire in 2026.

The end of this week has brought another round of executive exits from Apple. This time, it was Apple VP of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives Lisa Jackson and General Counsel Kate Adams who are leaving the company. The two plan to exit in 2026 with Jackson planning to exit in January 2026 while Adams transitions out of her role in March 2026 and then exits Apple fully later in the year. Former Meta lawyer Jennifer Newstead will join Apple as Senior VP in January, taking up Jackson’s roles and transitioning the company’s general counsel in Adams’ next year.

Apple announced the details of its executive transitions in a press release on its official newsroom webpages this week. There, Tim Cook shared a statement on all of those involved.

Kate Adams will exit her role as Apple General Counsel in March 2026.
Source: Apple

Tim Cook’s full statement on Adams and Jackson’s exit and Newstead’s appointment can be read below:

Kate has been an integral part of the company for the better part of a decade, having provided critical advice while always advocating on behalf of our customers’ right to privacy and protecting Apple’s right to innovate. I am incredibly grateful to her for the leadership she has provided, for her remarkable determination across a myriad of highly complex issues, and above all, for her thoughtfulness, her deeply strategic mind, and her sound counsel.

I am deeply appreciative of Lisa’s contributions. She has been instrumental in helping us reduce our global greenhouse emissions by more than 60 percent compared to 2015 levels. She has also been a critical strategic partner in engaging governments around the world, advocating for the best interests of our users on a myriad of topics, as well as advancing our values, from education and accessibility to privacy and security.

We couldn’t be more pleased to have Jennifer join our team. She brings an extraordinary depth of experience and skill to the role, and will advance Apple’s important work all over the world. We are also pleased that Jennifer will be overseeing both the Legal and Government Affairs organizations, given the increasing overlap between the work of both teams and her substantial background in international affairs. I know she will be an excellent leader going forward.

Jackson and Adams’ announced retirement from Apple comes as another executive, Liquid Glass design lead Alan Dye, just announced his own exit after 19 years with the company. With Dye headed to Meta and Newstead headed from Meta to Apple, it’s an interesting trade between the two companies. Regardless, it looks like two more executives are on their way out of Apple in 2026. Stay tuned as we watch for further updates on the Apple Topic.

TJ Denzer is a player and writer with a passion for games that has dominated a lifetime. He found his way to the Shacknews roster in late 2019 and has worked his way to Senior News Editor since. Between news coverage, he also aides notably in livestream projects like the indie game-focused Indie-licious, the Shacknews Stimulus Games, and the Shacknews Dump. You can reach him at tj.denzer@shacknews.com and also find him on BlueSky @JohnnyChugs.