Employees at Apple are reported to be very happy with the news that iOS software chief Scott Forstall has been fired. Forstall had apparently worn out his welcome at the company.
Sources familiar with the situation told GigaOm’s Om Malik that Forstall’s firing was met with a sense of “quiet jubilation,” particularly among those who worked in Apple’s engineering groups. One person quipped that a number of employees were going out for “celebratory drinks, even if there is a little bit of doubt about their roles in the future.”
Forstall’s departure was said to be “fairly last minute.” A number of Apple employees on the iOS and OS X teams learned the news mere minutes before the press release was issued to the public.
Employees are reported to be excited about designer Jony Ive taking over the new human interface group. Also, many employees feel that Craig Federighi will need to prove himself while heading both the iOS and OS X teams.
Forstall was said to be close with the late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, but none of the remaining executives cared for Forstall. Particularly Ive, who was said to have a “rocky relationship” with Forstall.
