Apple and Masimo have been battling it out in court after the company specializing in health technologies managed to temporarily ban Apple Watch sales in the US due to alleged patent infringement. In the midst of this dispute, Masimo CEO Joe Kiani has now announced that he’s resigning from the company.

Masimo appoints new CEO as Joe Kiani resigns

As confirmed by Masimo, Kiani has informed the company’s board of his decision to resign as CEO. Michelle Brennan, currently a member of Masimo’s board, has been appointed as the company’s interim CEO.

“I am grateful for the trust of the Board and excited by the opportunity to help Masimo continue to grow and lead as an innovation-focused company. As we go through this transition, the Board and management team are excited to learn from and work with our employees, while focusing on ensuring seamless service and support for our customers,” said the new CEO.

According to Masimo, the company remains committed to its current plans, including reviewing alternatives for the consumer audio and consumer healthcare businesses.

Although the reasons for Kiani’s resignation are unknown, he was deeply involved in the dispute between Masimo and Apple. Earlier this year, the former executive said that Apple was “masquerading” the health features on the Apple Watch, suggesting that they’re unreliable. Kiani also said that Apple deliberately took Masimo’s intellectual property.

The legal dispute over the Apple Watch

The dispute between Apple and Masimo concerns the Apple Watch’s blood oxygen monitoring feature, which was added in 2020 with the Apple Watch Series 6.

In January 2023, a US court ruled that Apple had infringed one of Maximo’s pulse oximetry technology patents with the Apple Watch. In October, the ITC agreed with the decision and upheld the court’s ruling. As a result, Apple was forced to stop selling Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 in the US last month.

To circumvent the ban, Apple has agreed to disable pulse oximetry features on Apple Watch models sold in the U.S.