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The designer Jony Ive was previously employed by Apple and has now signed a multi-year contract with the rental platform Airbnb.
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Jony Ive left Apple after 25 years as lead product designer in 2019 to start his own design company LoveFrom. Ive worked on the launch of the first versions of such products as the iMac in 1998, the iPhone in 2007 and the Apple Watch in 2014. His former employer Apple became his first customer after Ive left. Airbnb is now also part of its portfolio.
Big layoffs due to pandemic
The collaboration does not come as a complete surprise. The designer has been friends with Brian Chesky, the CEO of Airbnb for many years. The rental platform has according to The Information recently fired three senior designers. What exactly Ive will mean for the company has not been announced.
Airbnb has suffered a lot from this year’s pandemic, as travel was often halted. The company has had to lay off about 1,900 employees. However, it is expected that Airbnb will soon recover when travel starts again due to its strong business model. Jon Ive will undoubtedly contribute to that.
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