One of the key players in the Steve Jobs era at Apple is stepping down from her post. Katie Cotton, Apple’s vice president for worldwide communications, is retiring after 18 years. A member of Jobs’ inner circle, Cotton helped establish Apple’s well-known veil of secrecy around its products. She was also protective of the company’s executives, especially Jobs. Late in Jobs’ life, Apple was criticized for not being more forthcoming to shareholders about his condition as he battled pancreatic cancer. After he died, Cotton organized his memorial service at Apple’s main offices.
Apple has not named a replacement for Cotton. Other executives of the Jobs era, such as Apple Store head Ron Johnson, chief financial officer Peter Oppenheimer and mobile software lead Scott Forstall have left Apple or are planning to leave the company.
Sign up for Inside TIME. Be the first to see the new cover of TIME and get our most compelling stories delivered straight to your inbox.
