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Apple’s press release detailing its executive shuffle sent shockwaves across the internet on Monday, and it continues to be the talk of tech as journalists attempt to pin down exactly what happened.
GigaOm has published an extensive look at what’s going on inside the walls of Apple Inc. following the announcement Monday that iOS chief Scott Forstall and retail head John Browett were leaving the company.
Forstall’s departure seems to be garnering the most interest, particularly given his absence at last week’s iPad mini unveiling (he was in the audience, but not on stage), and his demotion from Senior Vice President of iOS Software to simply an advisor to CEO Tim Cook until his departure next year.
While GigaOm could not independently verify it with their sources, the leading speculation is that Forstall refused to sign an apology letter over the ill-fated iOS 6 Maps app, which Cook ultimately took responsibility for. That refusal appears to be the final straw that broke the camel’s back with Forstall.
Inside Apple, the firing is said to have been met with “a sense of quiet jubilation, especially among people who worked in the engineering groups.” There has been plenty written about Forstall over the last year, with the software VP once touted as the successor to Steve Jobs — an ascension that appears to have been put to rest before it ever truly got started.
Whatever the case, it appears Forstall isn’t leaving on his own volition, with iOS and OS X engineers only hearing the news after the company’s press release hit the wires on Monday late afternoon. Will Apple be a better company for the change? Only time will tell…
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