It wasn’t all that long ago that Scott Forstall, Apple’s former SVP of iOS software, was being talked about as a possible CEO successor to Steve Jobs. Then came the disastrous Apple Maps launch in 2012, and Forstall’s subsequent departure from the company.
Forstall has shown up a couple of times since then, but otherwise maintained a low profile. Now, as unearthed by the Epic Games v. Apple lawsuit, the Cupertino company says it doesn’t even have a current phone number for Forstall — only a Twitter account and P.O. Box reference.
FOSS Patents writer Florian Mueller spotted the info. Epic wants Forstall to clarify some points about app development as part of the case, Mueller wrote, but Apple apparently doesn’t know how to contact the former exec:
“When Epic requested that Apple provide Mr. Forstall’s last known address and contact information, Apple initially provided a PO box and a Twitter handle. Apple also represented that it was not authorized to share Mr. Forstall’s phone number, but later stated that it did not believe that it was in possession of Mr. Forstall’s current phone number.”
There’s something of a ticking clock involved here. Epic faces a March 10 deadline to carry out pre-trial depositions. It needs to contact Forstall prior to then. Otherwise, Epic could lose the right to include info from Forstall. Mueller continues:
“Apple’s behavior in this context may actually have served to strengthen Epic’s resolve to hear what Mr. Forstall has to say. If it is true that he was forced out in 2012, he might not be 100% loyal to his former employer, more than eight years after having been (if true) fired.”
Source: FOSS Patents
