Apple’s head of security has left the company, according to 9to5Mac. The site’s sources are reporting Apple’s Vice President of Global Security, John Theriault, has departed the company after the recent scandal involving the lost iPhone 4S prototype.
John Theriault has been responsible for managing Apple’s security division since 2007. His departure will be added to the growing list of Apple executives that have jumped ship in recent months.
We’ve heard that John Theriault, the company’s head of security operations, has left the company following the controversial lost iPhone 4S investigation earlier this year.
It was reported leading up to the iPhone 4S announcement that a next-gen iPhone prototype had been lost in a San Francisco bar. While the device was never reported as being recovered, the scandal conjured plenty of media coverage. Apple allegedly dispatched a security team (assumedly under Theriault’s direction) that posed as police while looking for the lost prototype.
John Theriault worked as VP and Chief Security Officer at Pfizer Inc before joining Apple in 2007. Prior to that he worked as a special agent for the FBI.
It’s unclear if Theriault’s departure directly correlates with the lost prototype, or if he was fired. Apple has yet to comment.
Update: AllThingsD has independently confirmed this report to be true. The site’s top-notch souces say that, while Theriault officially “retired,” the real reason he left was the lost iPhone prototype debacle.
