Apple Fitness+ chief to retire after no wrongdoing found in bullying accusation

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Jay Blahnik is to retire from Apple in July 2026, following accusations of him turning Apple Fitness+ into a toxic mental health work environment.

Person in blue shirt and black pants standing in a wooden-floored room with large windows showing lush greenery. Apple Fitness+ logo in foreground.
Jay Blahnik - image credit Apple



Blahnik and Apple were both sued over the Apple Fitness+ work environment in 2024, although the suit was not reported until August 2025. It came to light then as part of a series of accusations against Blahnik which claimed that around 10% of his 100-strong team had taken extended medical or mental health leave since 2022.

Now according to the New York Times, Blahnik is to retire from Apple in July 2026. Reportedly, Apple told employees that Blahnik is leaving "to spend more time with his family and make an exciting move to New York City."

Blahnik is now best known for running Apple Fitness+, which launched in December 2020. But he was previously a fitness expert who consulted on Nike's FuelBand, and was originally hired by Apple in 2013. It was later revealed that he worked on the Apple Watch.

In October 2025, it was reported that Apple was reorganizing Apple Fitness+ in order to bring it under the company's health division. There were also claims that Apple was considering dropping the service, but for now Dr Sumbul Desai is overseeing it.

It's not known whether the reorganization was a result of the accusations against Blahnik. Apple spokesman Lance Lin told AppleInsider that Apple had investigated the situation, it strongly disagreed with the claims.

In a statement, Apple said that it remained "deeply committed to creating and maintaining a positive and inclusive workplace." Lin added that "we will continue to share the facts through the legal process."

That legal process is the lawsuit that was brought against both Apple and Blahnik by Mandana Mofidi. The case has not been settled, and Blahnik's departure will not affect how it's expected to go to trial in 2027.

Separately, Apple is reported to have scaled down its plans for its health division, which now includes Apple Fitness+. There has been no announcement of any changes or reductions, but there may be news at WWDC 2026.



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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 3
    blastdoorblastdoor Posts: 4,188member
    Was the head jock stuffing people in lockers?
    ronngrandact73
     1Like 1Dislike 0Informatives
  • Reply 2 of 3
    grandact73grandact73 Posts: 81member
    I mean, he looks pretty toxic.
     0Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
  • Reply 3 of 3
    MplsPmplsp Posts: 4,496member
    Spending Time with your family is what you resigned to do when your workplace doesn’t want to spend time with you.
    dewmeronnStrangeDays
     3Likes 0Dislikes 0Informatives
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