Jeff Williams has been Apple's Chief Operating Officer since 2010, but he's begun his retirement process and will be passing the reins to Sabih Khan.

A bombshell announcement from Cupertino late on Wednesday is reshaping the highest echelons of leadership at Apple, the world’s most valuable and scrutinised corporation. Jeff Williams, the Chief Operating Officer for the past decade and a figure many considered a potential,

Sabih Khan, Apple's senior vice president of operations, will assume the COO role later this month as part of what Apple called a long-planned succession. Williams will continue reporting to CEO Tim Cook in the interim while overseeing the Apple Watch,