There are two origin stories. The Verge article tells Tony's. The CHM interview tells Scott's: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiuVggWNqSA&t=1467s&ab_channel=C

There are two origin stories. The Verge article tells Tony's. The CHM interview tells Scott's: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiuVggWNqSA&t=1467s&ab_channel=ComputerHistoryMuseum https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IiuVggWNqSA&t=1467s&ab_chann... Given the iPhone hardware came from skunkworks iPad team (and not iPod) and the software came from the Mac team (and not iPod) I personally take Tony's claims of inventing the iPhone with a grain of salt and opportunistic when Scott was later forced out over the unrelated Apple Maps launch issues. But you should judge for yourself. It's probably not clear cut.