Fireside Chat with Dan Riccio: Former Apple Executive Shares Reflections on his Journey
Riccio: “I always wanted to be the first person to get there in the morning and the last person to be there at night. When anything came up, I wouldn’t wait… It’s just how I was.”
On October 9th, hundreds of students, faculty, and alum piled into a fireside chat with Dan Riccio, former Apple Executive. As he shared with the room, Riccio officially retired from his post as Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering at Apple on October 18th, after 26 years with the company.
The event was part of a speaker series hosted by the Riccio-MIT Graduate Engineering Leadership Program, or GradEL for short, which prepares graduate students in becoming technical leaders.
GradEL is just one program under the umbrella of MIT’s Technical Leadership & Communication Programs. In the 2000s, a similar program for undergraduates, the Gordon Engineering Leadership program (GEL) was formed. “We were like, ‘we should really have this for graduate students,’” GradEL’s principal lecturer Monica Pheifer recalls. Riccio’s gift of $10 million in 2022 helped GradEL become a reality.
Once a month, GradEL will continue to host distinguished leaders from engineering companies to speak about their stories leading technical teams to success and presenting case studies for experiential learning.
In his fireside chat, Riccio outlined 20 skills he believes were critical to his successful years at Apple.
Empathy, the first characteristic, is “a superpower,” according to Riccio. “If you can put yourself in [another person’s] position and understand their point of view, you're pretty much giving yourself the answer at the back of the book.”
Riccio shifted his focus to a unique virtue: impatience. For him, it is not about rushing, but rather about having a sense of urgency and drive to solve problems quickly. “I always wanted to be the first person to get there in the morning and the last person to be there at night,” Riccio stated, “and when anything came up, I wouldn't wait… It’s just how I was.”
Alongside impatience, Riccio emphasized the importance of optimism. “Very rarely do you see a pessimist change the world,” he stated.
Particularly resonant with students in the audience was Riccio’s advice about indulging in paranoia. “Paranoia can be your best friend,” he joked. “The few times in my career when I assume things are going right, make no mistake, that’s going to come back and bite me in the ass.” In order to succeed, tech companies–and therefore tech leaders–have to be willing to take risks and create something new. Riccio emphasized the importance of having back-up plans when tackling projects that have never been done before.
Lastly, Riccio emphasized that true leadership is rooted in action. “I find the good leaders ask for help…, even before they actually need it…The ones who do it proactively, those are the ones who are going to rule the world.”
Riccio believes the toughest decision in his job is deciding whether to kill a project. “Learn the value of saying ‘no,’” he advised. One such project was a wireless charging mat, a product that was well into development. Two thirds of the way into the project, his team came up with a better idea – using magnetic device alignment – forcing him to make the tough call to terminate the product. “I got lots of sh-t for that,” he admitted. Nevertheless, to this day, he feels that it was ultimately the best course of action. His guiding principle, or “North Star” as he calls it, are customers.
“I make tough decisions all the time,” Riccio stated, but “when I think about customers first, I always make the right call.”
Another challenge Riccio faced was deciding when to fire employees. Reflecting on the words of his previous boss Steve Jobs who once told him, “I’d rather a hole than an a–hole.” Riccio stated that removing an employee who doesn’t fit the culture of Apple–even if they possess advanced technical knowledge–is ultimately the best course of action, even if it leaves a temporary gap on the team.
While many view leadership as an abstract skill detached from the project itself, Riccio argues that true leaders “always have to be in the detail,” or to know their project and the technology intimately. This belief led him to the GradEL program.
Riccio’s deep ties to MIT extend beyond this talk. He first stepped foot on campus as a job recruiter back in 1998, handing out boxes of Apple merch. 24 years later, he is supporting MIT’s next generation of leaders.
Tony Hu, Program Director of GradEL, emphasized that by focusing on hands-on learning, GradEL equips students to navigate real-world challenges with confidence. He welcomes all students to come and to try one of their many workshops, advising students that leadership is not something to “save for later.”
As Riccio steps into retirement, his legacy at Apple—and now MIT—remains clear. Through his continued involvement in the GradEL program, Riccio empowers students to embrace these principles and rise to the challenges of tomorrow. He encouraged listeners to learn not only how to lead, but how to leave a lasting impact.