Jony Ive Featured on WSJ. Magazine Cover, Talks Work at Apple and Design Philosophy

Former Apple design chief Sir Jony Ive will be featured on the cover of WSJ. Magazine later this month, reflecting on his work at Apple and design philosophy in a wide-ranging interview.

wsj jony ive coverImage by Alasdair McLellan for WSJ. Magazine.

The interview spans topics including Ive's youth, first meeting with Steve Jobs and work at Apple, and recent work at his design company LoveFrom. Reflecting on his beginnings at Apple, Ive said:

"I wanted to be a part of this crazy California company," Ive says now. Corporation is a word he reviles. "A group of people who are truly united in a shared sense of purpose" is what he prefers, and that's initially what he hoped to find at Apple. Instead, soon after he joined, the company began to drift. The Newton tablet he designed in 1992 was praised by critics but largely ignored by consumers. Apple started to atrophy into an acquisition target. "The most important lessons you would never choose to learn because they are so painful," Ive says. "The death of a company is so ugly."

jony ive wsjImage by Alasdair McLellan for WSJ. Magazine.

Ive on meeting Steve Jobs upon his return to Apple in 1997:

Ive, then 30, assumed Jobs would hire a more renowned designer to replace him, but something unexpected happened at their first meeting. "I clicked with Steve in a way that I had never before done with someone and never have since."

On his purpose, Ive remarked:

"I love making things that are profoundly useful," he adds. "I'm a very practical craftsperson."

jony ive apple devicesSome of Jony Ive's own Apple devices. Image by Alasdair McLellan for WSJ. Magazine.

He also discussed the importance of language and creativity, the downside of disruption, and curiosity:

"Success is the enemy of curiosity," "I am terrified and disgusted when people are absolutely without curiosity," he says. "It's at the root of so much social dysfunction and conflict.... Part of why I get so furious when people dismiss creativity is that [when] it's an activity practiced in its most noble and collaborative form, it means a bunch of people who come together in an empathic and selfless way. What I have come to realize is that the process of creating with large groups of people is really hard and is also unbelievably powerful."

Ive will be featured in November's "Innovators Issue," out on newsstands on Saturday, November 12. Ive is one of eight covers representing each of this year's award recipients. See the full interview on The Wall Street Journal's website.

Popular Stories

iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Saturday October 18, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
iOS 26 was released last month, but the software train never stops, and iOS 26.1 beta testing is already underway. So far, iOS 26.1 makes both Apple Intelligence and Live Translation on compatible AirPods available in additional languages, and it includes some other minor changes across the Apple Music, Calendar, Photos, Clock, and Safari apps. More features and changes will follow in future ...
ios 26 1 liquid glass opaque

iOS 26.1 Beta 4 Lets Users Control Liquid Glass Transparency with New Toggle

Monday October 20, 2025 10:57 am PDT by
With the fourth betas of iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS 26.1, Apple has introduced a new setting that's designed to allow users to customize the look of Liquid Glass. The toggle lets users select from a clear look for Liquid Glass, or a tinted look. Clear is the current Liquid Glass design, which is more transparent and shows the background underneath buttons, bars, and menus, while tinted ...
iPhone Siri Glow

Some Apple Employees Have 'Concerns' About iOS 26.4's Revamped Siri

Sunday October 19, 2025 7:39 am PDT by
iOS 26.4 is expected to introduce a revamped version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence, but not everyone is satisfied with how well it works. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said some of Apple's software engineers have "concerns" about the overhauled Siri's performance. However, he did not provide any specific details about the shortcomings. iOS 26.4 will...
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.2 Update for iPhones Coming Soon

Friday October 17, 2025 7:35 am PDT by
Apple's software engineers continue to internally test iOS 26.0.2, according to MacRumors logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. iOS 26.0.2 will be a minor update that addresses bugs and/or security vulnerabilities, but we do not know any specific details yet. The update will likely be released by the end of next week. Last month, Apple released iOS 26.0.1,...
Apple iPad Pro hero M5

New iPad Pro Has Six Key Upgrades Beyond M5 Chip

Saturday October 18, 2025 10:57 am PDT by
While the new iPad Pro's headline feature is the M5 chip, the device has some other changes, including N1 and C1X chips, faster storage speeds, and more. With the M5 chip, the new iPad Pro has up to a 20% faster CPU and up to a 40% faster GPU compared to the previous model with the M4 chip, according to Geekbench 6 results. Keep in mind that 256GB and 512GB configurations have a 9-core CPU,...
maxresdefault

Here's How the iOS 26.1 Transparency Toggle Changes Liquid Glass

Monday October 20, 2025 1:55 pm PDT by
With the fourth beta of iOS 26.1, Apple added a toggle that makes Liquid Glass more opaque and reduces transparency. We tested the beta to see where the toggle works and what it looks like. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. If you have the latest iOS 26.1 beta, you can go to Settings > Display and Brightness to get to the new option. Tap on Liquid Glass, then...
HomePod mini and Apple TV

Apple's Next Rumored Products: New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and More

Thursday October 16, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro with its next-generation M5 chip, but previous rumors have indicated that the company still plans to announce at least a few additional products before the end of the year. The following Apple products have at one point been rumored to be updated in 2025, although it is unclear if the timeframe for any of them has...
iOS 26

What's New in iOS 26.1 Beta 4

Monday October 20, 2025 1:02 pm PDT by
Even though we're at the fourth beta of iOS 26.1, Apple is continuing to add new features. In fact, the fourth beta has some of the biggest changes that we'll get when iOS 26.1 releases to the public later this month. We've rounded up what's new below. Liquid Glass Transparency Toggle Apple added a toggle for customizing the look of Liquid Glass. In Settings > Display and Brightness,...
kohler toilet sensor

Kohler Launches $600 iPhone-Connected Toilet Camera That Monitors Your Health Through Waste Analysis

Monday October 20, 2025 1:42 pm PDT by
Kohler is expanding its line of bathroom products with Dekoda, an iPhone-connected device that's designed to be attached to a toilet rim (via The Verge). The device's included "sensors" point into the toilet bowl, allowing it to analyze what goes on in the bathroom. According to Kohler, Dekoda is a health tracker that can monitor gut health and hydration, as well as detect the presence of...

Top Rated Comments

Mockletoy Avatar
39 months ago
This issue is no doubt a special edition that consists of only the cover page.

You know, to keep it appropriately thin.
Score: 32 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BreakingKayfabe Avatar
39 months ago

On one hand I miss him. On the other I don’t. He definitely pushed design but took it too far with the thinness.
I was over him by the time the 2016 MacBook with one port came out.
Score: 24 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Ryan H Avatar
39 months ago
We need Jony back, on the basis he has no say over I/O ?
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mockletoy Avatar
39 months ago

"I love making things that are profoundly useful," he adds. "I'm a very practical craftsperson."
Said without irony by the guy who gave us the butterfly keyboard.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WiiDSmoker Avatar
39 months ago
On one hand I miss him. On the other I don’t. He definitely pushed design but took it too far with the thinness.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MakeAppleAwesomeAgain Avatar
39 months ago
The most important man to Apple besides Jobs. He gets the blame for the thinness era and dropping ports, but I'm sure there was much more to it, and those weren't decisions he made solely on his own. His influence is still evident in the current lineup and will be for years. The man is a legend.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)