How Apple's Vision Pro Team Signals A Bold Departure From Steve Jobs' Playbook

Apple Inc.’s AAPL Vision Pro team has reportedly challenged Steve Jobs’ management approach.

What Happened: In his latest “Power On” newsletter, Bloomberg columnist Mark Gurman highlighted the Apple Vision Pro team’s departure from the company’s co-founder and probably the most famous CEO’s management approach.

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Gurman said that previously, Apple operated with a “functional” structure — established by Jobs — organizing departments like software engineering, hardware development, design, and services to collaborate on new features and products.

However, with the introduction of the Vision Pro headset, everything has changed, according to Gurman.

The Vision Pro Team, internally known as the Vision Products Group or VPG, reportedly has been an independent division within Apple since 2015 (although it was earlier named Technology Development Group, or TDG), reporting to Mike Rockwell. 

The group boasts its own teams for software engineering, hardware development, strategy, computer vision, content, app development, and project management, bypassing Cupertino’s main departments.

Nevertheless, despite its autonomy, the VPG does collaborate with other parts of Apple. 

According to Gurman, the name change from TDG to VPG and using a plural in “products” implies a more permanent structure, reinforcing the notion that the Vision Pro headset was the first of many products in the pipeline. 

Why It’s Important: Apple’s willingness to deviate from its traditional approach under Tim Cook is not entirely unprecedented, as seen previously with the Apple Watch’s development and the Special Projects Group or SPG working on self-driving cars, the newsletter noted. 

Apple’s Vision Pro launch didn’t seem to get the expected reception from investors and netizens alike, largely because of its higher price point. However, there may be hope for a turnaround, as it was reported that the tech giant has been developing a more budget-friendly version of the headset that might bear the names Apple Vision or Apple Vision One. 

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Photo courtesy: Apple