Apple May Have Hired Jony Ive's Friend To Keep Him At The Company

Apple recently announced the hire of industrial designer Marc Newson, a close friend of Apple lead designer Jony Ive.

Although Newson's work stands up on its own, we're learning that part of Apple's motivation to hire him may have been to keep Ive designing killer products, according to a Businessweek interview of Tim Cook.

"Some former Apple executives think Ive could be inching toward the door and interpret the recent hiring of celebrity designer Marc Newson, Ive's friend, as evidence he may be staying put for now," writes Businessweek's Brad Stone.

Apple didn't comment on Bloomberg's suggestion, but Phil Schiller - Apple's head of marketing - pushed back against the suggestion that Ive was headed for the door.

"A lot of us at Apple are here because we love the products," he said. "We think we are making the best products we have ever made as a company."