Father of Mac OS X Leaves Apple to Focus on Science

By

serlet_osx

It seems only fitting the “father” of Mac OS X would take the software’s 10th anniversary for his exit. Betrand Serlet, Apple’s senior vice president of Mac software Engineering, and a long-time Steve Jobs associate, Wednesday announced he’s leaving the tech giant. His replacement has shepherded the next-generation of MacOS X — 10.7 “Lion” which includes greater ties to Apple’s mobile iOS platform.

Serlet, who holds a Computer Science doctorate, announced he wants to “focus less on products and more on science.” He described the upcoming Mac 10.7 as “a great release and the transition should be seamless.” Craig Federighi, Apple’s vice president of Mac Software Engineering, demonstrated Mac OS X 10.7 Lion to the media in late 2010.


The outgoing Apple executive described his more than two decades working alongside Jobs as an “incredible time.” Serlet, after working for four years at Xerox PARC, came to NeXT with Jobs in 1989. In 1997, he joined Apple, where he helped create and develop the Mac OS X operating system, which many credit for breathing life back into the Cupertino, Calif. company.

Like Serlet, Federighi is a NeXT alum before coming to Apple to lead Mac OS X engineering.

[AppleInsider, CNET]

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