Tim Cook calls report on tensions with Jony Ive 'absurd', says design team 'stronger than ever'

Former Apple design head Jony Ive, who is known for the iconic iPhone, iPod and iPad designs amongst other things, left the company last week to start a new company called LoveFrom. While there was plenty of speculation surrounding this high profile departure, one particular Wall Street Journal report said that Ive had left the company due to personal differences with CEO Tim Cook. Now Tim Cook has hit back at these accusations and called them 'absurd'[caption id="attachment_4496135" align="alignnone" width="1280"]

Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook speaks at the Apple WWDC. Image: Reuters[/caption]It is indeed a rare thing for Cook to address reporters directly about internal Apple matters.WSJ had reported that Ive's departure was in the offing for some time and that he had been slowly drifting away from the company in recent years. The report also claimed that Ive's departure had left the Apple design team "rudderless and without leadership".The email sent by Cook to NBC News reporter Dylan Byers, says that the WSJ report is "distorting relationships, decisions and events in the company" and that "at the base level the report demonstrated a lack of understanding about how the team works and how Apple works."

Cook went on to mention that Apple's design team "is phenomenally talented” and “stronger than ever" and that “projects they’re working on will blow you away."What these projects are, will almost certainly remain a mystery for now but Cook's response could be to assure investors that Apple's design team is not in disarray as the WSJ report points it out to be.