Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman has revealed that Johny Srouji, Apple’s senior vice president of hardware technologies, has informed CEO Tim Cook of his potential plans to exit the company for a new opportunity. Back in October, Srouji was already contemplating his future at Apple, and it now seems he is leaning towards parting ways with the tech behemoth headquartered in Cupertino.

Should Srouji depart, he would join a growing list of significant executive exits from Apple’s leadership team. This trend gained momentum when COO Jeff Williams announced his retirement in July, leading to a reshuffle of responsibilities. The pace has quickened in December, with AI chief John Giannandrea stepping down, followed by the retirement plans of policy head Lisa Jackson and general counsel Kate Adams, and the move of UI design leader Alan Dye to Meta—all occurring in quick succession.

As the tech landscape increasingly pivots towards artificial intelligence, Apple has faced challenges in maintaining its competitive edge. Tim Cook now confronts the challenge of stabilizing the company amid circulating rumors about his potential departure. Although Gurman, a typically reliable source, suggests these rumors are premature, the speculation contributes to the sense of instability surrounding one of Silicon Valley’s traditionally steady giants.