7 ms·

Siri Co-Founder Quits Apple

85 points by Urgo 15y ago

jordhy 15y ago
This looks like Microsoft all over again. Wait for similar news every couple of months. Key-person attrition is gonna be thru the roof at Apple.
- sjwright 15y ago
  The CEO of a purchased company is often a redundant position.
  - robjohnson 15y ago
    Yeah. This doesn't seem like startling news.
    - ploxination 15y ago
      YEAH!
  - josefresco 15y ago
    A regular CEO is quite a bit different than a co-founder CEO.
- danilocampos 15y ago
  This is almost exactly 18 months after the acquisition. Guy probably finished his earn out and is moving on. Nothing surprising for an acquired CEO.
- recoiledsnake 15y ago
  I think Yahoo leads in botched acquisitions.
- wanorris 15y ago
  Your comment seems a bit trite and overly dismissive, which is why it has been downvoted into oblivion, but there is a possible grain of truth there to watch out for. It has been rumored for a while that Scott Forstall, head of iOS, is extremely difficult to work with, and has been the reason for a number of people leaving Apple. I can't even begin to guess whether this is true or not -- I don't have any way of knowing. But this may actually be something to watch for over the next couple of years.
- hkmurakami 15y ago
  Well, even Google (with its great working environment) has issues keeping personnel from acquisitions.
ashleyw 15y ago
Some people just don't like working for others, even if it's Apple. And that's amplified when you've got millions of dollars in the bank and have no need for a pay cheque to pay the bills. Do you think Steve Jobs would have stuck with Apple after it acquired NeXT, if he wasn't CEO? I highly doubt he would, he would have moved on as soon as his contract ended.
- PakG1 15y ago
  But he didn't become CEO. He stayed on as a consultant. NeXT was acquired in 1996. Jobs became interim CEO a year later. He didn't become permanent CEO until 2000. edit: I highly doubt he would, he would have moved on as soon as his contract ended. Reading this latter sentence, perhaps you didn't mean that he was CEO right away. But I'm not sure. :)
  - ashleyw 15y ago
    Yeah, I'm assuming he was in a contract which kept him around long enough for him to be made interim CEO. From there, I'm sure he was confident he'd secure the permanent role before long.
  - hkmurakami 15y ago
    Or, one could argue that this is the length of time it took him to kick out Amelio and get himself back in the top spot. If in a hypothetical world where Jobs couldn't get himself back into the CEO spot, then perhaps he would not have stayed on for an extended period of time. Of course, this is all pure speculation
codeup 15y ago
Fox News? Here's the original source: http://allthingsd.com/20111023/exclusive-siri-co-founder-kittlaus-departs-from-apple/ http://allthingsd.com/20111023/exclusive-siri-co-founder-kit...
- plainOldText 15y ago
  I'm just curious. What's wrong with Fox News?
  - lolabloladd32 15y ago
    Fox News is for partisan people who are more interested in how terrible Obama is than actual News.
  - potatolicious 15y ago
    It's widely claimed (and IMO, correctly pointed out) that Fox News lacks journalistic integrity and is highly partisan, sometimes resorting to outright falsities to further an agenda. Generally speaking, we prefer our news sources to be more objective, or if subjective, make their subjectivity more honest (i.e., by not painting it as an objective news program).
    - crikli 15y ago
      "It's widely claimed..." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weasel_word#Passive_and_middle_voice http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weasel_word#Passive_and_middle_...
      - grourk 15y ago
        He or she also stated their opinion: "and IMO, correctly pointed out". The statement that it is widely claimed was sort of the point of the comment.
    - toddmorey 15y ago
      This comment is a parody, right?
unreal37 15y ago
Co-Founder: "Siri, should I quit Apple?" Siri: Redirects user to his broker's web site showing his millions of dollars in AAPL shares...
physcab 15y ago
I would quit too. I love Apple products but they come at a huge human cost. One of my best friends works there and he's always extremely stressed out. He works like 15 hour days, 6 days a week. He's constantly bailing on his obligations because Apple decides to run a conference call at a ridiculous hour of the night, or right before we go into a theater to watch a movie. Nevermind the China trips that get dragged out for weeks. I've heard from him on several occasions that there are few people who have worked at Apple longer than a few years because of the burnout.
- krobertson 15y ago
  May depend on which role or which products. I had a friend who did tech support at Apple for 10+ years and loved it, and another friend who works as a web dev and loves it as well. I don't think either of my friends were in roles that had to fear Apple's goon squad... imagine things are different if you work on something iPhone/iPad/iOS related.
  - hkmurakami 15y ago
    I've heard that the hardware design guys have it pretty rough, while the software side has it (relatively) easy.
    - based2 15y ago
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Soul_of_a_New_Machine http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Soul_of_a_New_Machine
    - nekitamo 15y ago
      This is untrue. A family member worked on the Apple "software side", and it was insanely stressful (constant overtime, stay over weekends etc...). If the hardware guys have it worse, then it must be inhuman. I wonder what the turnover rate of Apple employees is.

85 points by Urgo 15y ago

This looks like Microsoft all over again. Wait for similar news every couple of months. Key-person attrition is gonna be thru the roof at Apple.

sjwright 15y ago
The CEO of a purchased company is often a redundant position.
- robjohnson 15y ago
  Yeah. This doesn't seem like startling news.
  - ploxination 15y ago
    YEAH!
- josefresco 15y ago
  A regular CEO is quite a bit different than a co-founder CEO.
danilocampos 15y ago
This is almost exactly 18 months after the acquisition. Guy probably finished his earn out and is moving on. Nothing surprising for an acquired CEO.
recoiledsnake 15y ago
I think Yahoo leads in botched acquisitions.
wanorris 15y ago
Your comment seems a bit trite and overly dismissive, which is why it has been downvoted into oblivion, but there is a possible grain of truth there to watch out for. It has been rumored for a while that Scott Forstall, head of iOS, is extremely difficult to work with, and has been the reason for a number of people leaving Apple. I can't even begin to guess whether this is true or not -- I don't have any way of knowing. But this may actually be something to watch for over the next couple of years.
hkmurakami 15y ago
Well, even Google (with its great working environment) has issues keeping personnel from acquisitions.

ashleyw 15y ago

Some people just don't like working for others, even if it's Apple. And that's amplified when you've got millions of dollars in the bank and have no need for a pay cheque to pay the bills. Do you think Steve Jobs would have stuck with Apple after it acquired NeXT, if he wasn't CEO? I highly doubt he would, he would have moved on as soon as his contract ended.

PakG1 15y ago
But he didn't become CEO. He stayed on as a consultant. NeXT was acquired in 1996. Jobs became interim CEO a year later. He didn't become permanent CEO until 2000. edit: I highly doubt he would, he would have moved on as soon as his contract ended. Reading this latter sentence, perhaps you didn't mean that he was CEO right away. But I'm not sure. :)
- ashleyw 15y ago
  Yeah, I'm assuming he was in a contract which kept him around long enough for him to be made interim CEO. From there, I'm sure he was confident he'd secure the permanent role before long.
- hkmurakami 15y ago
  Or, one could argue that this is the length of time it took him to kick out Amelio and get himself back in the top spot. If in a hypothetical world where Jobs couldn't get himself back into the CEO spot, then perhaps he would not have stayed on for an extended period of time. Of course, this is all pure speculation

codeup 15y ago

Fox News? Here's the original source: http://allthingsd.com/20111023/exclusive-siri-co-founder-kittlaus-departs-from-apple/ http://allthingsd.com/20111023/exclusive-siri-co-founder-kit...

plainOldText 15y ago
I'm just curious. What's wrong with Fox News?
- lolabloladd32 15y ago
  Fox News is for partisan people who are more interested in how terrible Obama is than actual News.
- potatolicious 15y ago
  It's widely claimed (and IMO, correctly pointed out) that Fox News lacks journalistic integrity and is highly partisan, sometimes resorting to outright falsities to further an agenda. Generally speaking, we prefer our news sources to be more objective, or if subjective, make their subjectivity more honest (i.e., by not painting it as an objective news program).
  - crikli 15y ago
    "It's widely claimed..." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weasel_word#Passive_and_middle_voice http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weasel_word#Passive_and_middle_...
    - grourk 15y ago
      He or she also stated their opinion: "and IMO, correctly pointed out". The statement that it is widely claimed was sort of the point of the comment.
  - toddmorey 15y ago
    This comment is a parody, right?

unreal37 15y ago

Co-Founder: "Siri, should I quit Apple?" Siri: Redirects user to his broker's web site showing his millions of dollars in AAPL shares...

physcab 15y ago

I would quit too. I love Apple products but they come at a huge human cost. One of my best friends works there and he's always extremely stressed out. He works like 15 hour days, 6 days a week. He's constantly bailing on his obligations because Apple decides to run a conference call at a ridiculous hour of the night, or right before we go into a theater to watch a movie. Nevermind the China trips that get dragged out for weeks. I've heard from him on several occasions that there are few people who have worked at Apple longer than a few years because of the burnout.

krobertson 15y ago
May depend on which role or which products. I had a friend who did tech support at Apple for 10+ years and loved it, and another friend who works as a web dev and loves it as well. I don't think either of my friends were in roles that had to fear Apple's goon squad... imagine things are different if you work on something iPhone/iPad/iOS related.
- hkmurakami 15y ago
  I've heard that the hardware design guys have it pretty rough, while the software side has it (relatively) easy.
  - based2 15y ago
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Soul_of_a_New_Machine http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Soul_of_a_New_Machine
  - nekitamo 15y ago
    This is untrue. A family member worked on the Apple "software side", and it was insanely stressful (constant overtime, stay over weekends etc...). If the hardware guys have it worse, then it must be inhuman. I wonder what the turnover rate of Apple employees is.