The Apple executive responsible for the iconic look of the iPhone left the gadget maker last week after years of feeling that design at Apple had lost its cachet under Tim Cook, a new report claims.

Jony Ive, who is credited with the design of the iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch, had stepped back from day-to-day management long before he announced last week he would be leaving the company after nearly 30 years, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The report suggested that much of the cause of the split can be laid firmly at the feet of Cook, who took on the CEO role after Steve Jobs died in 2011 and prioritized operations over design.

Whereas Ive and Jobs worked together closely — prompting the design team to be considered “gods” under Jobs’ tenure — Cook rarely stepped foot in the design studio, the Journal said.

Cook tried to keep Ive happy with a fancy title and generous pay package, but Ive was “dispirited” by the fact that Cook “showed little interest in the product development process,” according to the report.

Ives further soured on Apple as he watched the company’s board become populated by individuals with backgrounds in finance and operations. And over the past few years, he had increasingly been working from his homes in Hawaii, San Francisco and the UK — only stopping by Cupertino, California, on occasion, the Journal said.

Cook called the story “absurd” in an email to NBC News that was posted on Twitter. “The design team is phenomenally talented. As Jony has said, they’re stronger than ever,” Cook said.

Ives will form his own design company, called LoveFrom, which will retain Apple as a primary client.

Apple shares rose 1.8%, to $201.55.