Scott Forstall Biography | Scott Forstall Bio
Scott Forstall is an American software engineer, best known for leading the original software development team for the iPhone and iPad, and Broadway producer, best known for co-producing the Tony award-winning Fun Home and Eclipsed with his wife. Having spent his career first at NeXT and then Apple, he was the senior vice president (SVP) of iOS Software at Apple Inc. from 2007 until October 2012.
Scott Forstall Age
Scott Forstall is a 50-year-old software engineer born in 1969 in Washington (state), U.S.
Scott Forstall Education
Scott Forstall graduated from Junior High School as a qualified programmer in an advanced-placement science and math class he gained this experience on Apple IIe computers. Scott Forstall graduated from Stanford University in 1991 with a degree in symbolic systems.
In 1992, he received his master’s degree in computer science, also from Stanford. During his time at Stanford, Forstall was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. He was skipped forward a year, entering Olympic High School in Bremerton, Washington early, where classmates recall his immersion in competitive chess, history, and general knowledge, on occasion competing at the state level.
He achieved a 4.0 GPA and earned the position of valedictorian, a position he shared with a classmate, Molly Brown, who would later become his wife. He had established the goal of being a “designer of high-tech electronics equipment”, as he proclaimed in an interview with a local newspaper.
Enrolling at Stanford University, he graduated in 1991 with a degree in symbolic systems. The next year he received his master’s degree in computer science, also from Stanford. During his time at Stanford, Forstall was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity
Scott Forstall Wife
Scott Forstall is married to Molly Brown Forstall with he was blessed with cute children and they both live in the United States.
Scott Forstall Net Worth | Scott Forstall Salary
Scott Forstall is an American software engineer who has an estimated net worth of $ 40 million dollars as of 2019. He earns a basic salary of $ 800,000 dollars.
Scott Forstall NeXT | Apple
Scott Forstall joined Steve Jobs’s NeXT in 1992 and stayed when it was purchased by Apple in 1997. Forstall was then placed in charge of designing user interfaces for a reinvigorated Macintosh line. In 2000, he became a leading designer of the Mac’s new Aqua user interface, known for its water-themed visual cues such as translucent icons and reflections, making him a rising star in the company.
He was promoted to SVP in January 2003. During this period, he supervised the creation of the Safari web browser. Don Melton, a senior developer on the Safari team, credited Forstall for being willing to trust the instincts of his team and respecting their ability to develop the browser in secret.
In 2005, Jobs began planning the iPhone, he had a choice to either “shrink the Mac, which would be an epic feat of engineering, or enlarge the iPod”. Jobs favored the former approach but pitted the Macintosh and the iPod team, led by Forstall and Tony Fadell respectively, against each other in an internal competition.
Forstall won that fierce competition to create iOS. The decision enabled the success of the iPhone as a platform for third-party developers: using a well-known desktop operating system as its basis allowed the many third-party Mac developers to write software for the iPhone with minimal retraining.
He was also responsible for creating a software developer’s kit for programmers to build iPhone apps, as well as an App Store within iTunes. In 2006, Forstall became responsible for Mac OS X releases after Avie Tevanian stepped down as the company’s Chief Software Technology Officer and before being named SVP of iPhone Software.
Scott Forstall received credit as he “ran the iOS mobile software team like clockwork and was widely respected for his ability to perform under pressure”. He has spoken publicly at Apple Worldwide Developers Conferences, including talks about Mac OS X Leopard in 2006 and iPhone software development in 2008, later after the release of iPhone OS 2.0 and iPhone 3G, and on January 27, 2010, at Apple’s 2010 iPad keynote.
At WWDC 2011, Forstall introduced iOS 5. Forstall also appears in the iOS 5 video, narrating about three-quarters of the clip, and in almost every major Apple iOS special event. At the “Let’s talk iPhone” event launching the iPhone 4S, he took the stage to demonstrate the phone’s Siri voice recognition technology, which was originally developed at SRI International.
Scott Forstall Departure from Apple
The aftermath of the release of iOS 6, on September 19, 2012, proved a troubled period for Apple. The newly introduced Maps application, completely designed in-house by Apple, was criticized for being underdeveloped, buggy and lacking in detail.
In addition, the clock app used a design based on the trademarked Swiss railway clock, which Apple had failed to license, forcing Apple to pay Swiss railways a reported $21 million in compensation. In October, Apple reported third-quarter results in which revenues and profits grew less than predicted, the second quarter in a row that the company missed analysts’ expectations.
On October 29, 2012, Apple announced in a press release “that Scott Forstall will be leaving Apple [in 2013] and will serve as an advisor to CEO Tim Cook in the interim.” Forstall’s duties were divided among four other Apple executives: design SVP Jonathan Ive assumed leadership of Apple’s Human Interface team,
Craig Federighi became the new head of iOS software engineering, services chief Eddy Cue took over responsibilities for Maps and Siri, and Bob Mansfield (previously SVP of hardware engineering) “unretired” to oversee a new technology group. On the same day, John Browett, who was SVP of retail, was dismissed immediately after only six months on the job.
Neither Forstall nor any other Apple executive has commented publicly on his departure beyond the initial press statement, but it is generally presumed that Forstall left his position involuntarily. All information about the reasons for his departure, therefore, comes from anonymous sources.
Cook’s aim since becoming CEO has been reported to be building a culture of harmony, which meant “weeding out people with disagreeable personalities people Jobs tolerated and even held close, like Forstall,” Although former Apple senior engineer Michael Lopp “believes that Apple’s ability to innovate came from tension and disagreement.”
Steve Jobs was referred to as the “decider” who had the final say on products and features while he was CEO, reportedly keeping the “strong personalities at Apple in check by always casting the winning vote or by having the last word”, so after Jobs’ death many of these executive conflicts became public.
Scott Forstall had such a poor relationship with I’ve and Mansfield that he could not be in a meeting with them unless Cook mediated; reportedly, Forstall and Ive did not cooperate at any level. Being forced to choose between the two, Cook reportedly chose to retain I’ve since Forstall was not collaborative.
He was very close to and referred to as a mini-Steve Jobs, so Jobs’ death left Forstall without a protector. He was also referred to as the CEO-in-waiting by Fortune magazine and the book Inside Apple (written by Adam Lashinsky), a profile that made him unpopular at Apple.
He was said to be responsible for the departure of Jean-Marie Hullot (CTO of applications) in 2005 and Tony Fadell (SVP of hardware engineering) in 2008; Fadell remarked in an interview with the BBC that Forstall’s firing was justified and he “got what he deserved”.
Jon Rubinstein, Fadell’s predecessor as SVP of hardware, also had a strained relationship with Forstall. After Jobs’ death in 2011, it had been reported that Forstall was trying to gather power to challenge Cook. The Siri intelligent personal voice assistant that Forstall introduced in September 2011 has received a mixed reception with some observers regarding it as a “flop”.
Forstall was vigorously criticized after the new Maps app, introduced in iOS 6, received criticism for inaccuracies that were not up to Apple standards. According to Adam Lashinsky of Fortune, when Apple issued a formal apology for the errors in Maps, Forstall refused to sign it.
Under long-standing practice at Apple, Forstall was the “directly responsible individual” for Maps, and his refusal to sign the apology convinced Cook that Forstall had to go. Forstall’s skeuomorphic design style, strongly advocated by former CEO Steve Jobs, was reported to have also been controversial and divided the Apple design team.
In 2012 interview, Ive, then head of hardware design only, refused to comment on the iOS user interface, “In terms of those elements you’re talking about, I’m not really connected to that.” Scott Forstall did not make public appearances after his departure from Apple for a number of years.
A report in December 2013 said that he had been concentrating on travel, advising charities, and providing informal advice to some small companies. On April 17, 2015, Scott Forstall made his first tweet, which revealed that he is a co-producer of the Broadway version of the musical Fun Home.
It was his first public appearance since departing from Apple in 2012. On June 7, 2015, the Forstall-produced musical won five awards at the Tonys. Forstall is reportedly working as an advisor with Snap Inc. On June 20, 2017, Forstall gave his first public interview after leaving Apple. He was interviewed in the Computer History Museum by John Markoff about the creation of the iPhone on the 10th anniversary of its sales launch.
Scott Forstall Apple
Scott Forstall did not make public appearances after his departure from Apple for a number of years. A report in December 2013 said that he had been concentrating on travel, advising charities, and providing informal advice to some small companies.
On April 17, 2015, Forstall made his first tweet, which revealed that he is a co-producer of the Broadway version of the musical Fun Home. It was his first public appearance since departing from Apple in 2012. On June 7, 2015, the Forstall-produced musical won five awards at the Tonys.
He is reportedly working as an advisor with Snap Inc. On June 20, 2017, Forstall gave his first public interview after leaving Apple. He was interviewed in the Computer History Museum by John Markoff about the creation of the iPhone on the 10th anniversary of its sales launch.
Scott Forstall Reason of being fired from Apple
The announcement that both Scott Forstall and John Browett are leaving Apple today came as a big surprise to many Apple fans. Browett has only been with Apple for nine months, but Scott Forstall was one of Steve Jobs’ favorite employees and has been with Apple since 1997.
Apple hasn’t released any of the specifics as to why Browett and Forestall are leaving Apple, but we’re assuming they got fired for their missteps from the past 12 months.
Reason for firing Scott Forstall
Siri. When Forstall pitched Siri during the iPhone 4S keynote, the personal assistant looked amazing. It seemed to understand everything Scott asked it and came back with quick replies. The actual product has been quite different though, and some have accused Forstall of overpromising and under-delivering on Siri. It was supposed to be a huge selling feature of the iPhone 4S, but now it’s become more of an after-thought and joke.
Apple Maps. By now, everyone is well aware of the horrible reputation Apple Maps has earned. The sad part is, a lot of Apple Maps’ problems were fixable by the iOS development team before the launch. Forstall’s team rushed Maps out before doing a lot of quality assurance and checking their data for discrepancies in the public record. The damage done to Apple’s reputation via the Maps mishap has been reason enough to get anyone fired, even Apple’s iOS wonderboy.
iOS development. While Microsoft has come out with an innovative new mobile operating system and Android has added loads of new features, iOS 5 and iOS 6 haven’t been as captivating. Yes, iOS is still an incredible product, but the skeuomorphic leather and wood grain interfaces that Forestall’s teams have added over the last two years have made iOS feel dated. Apple needs to start making some daring steps with iOS to maintain its lead in the mobile space, and Forstall has not appeared to be willing to do so.
Ego. Steve Jobs was a brilliant visionary, known for demanding to have things done his way. Forstall has received unflattering comparisons to Jobs. There have been whispers that Apple’s senior vice presidents avoid having meetings with Forstall unless Tim Cook is present because he has become increasingly difficult to work with. Maybe some time away from Apple will help Forstall’s leadership abilities mature, just like it helped Steve Jobs.
Scott Forstall Interview
Since departing Apple in 2012, Scott Forstall has shifted his focus primarily to Broadway production. Every so often, however, Forstall takes time in an interview to reference his days as an Apple software VP. In the latest instance of this, Forstall talks Steve Jobs, Apple TV, and more.
Today, video from an episode of Philosophy Talk – entitled “The Creative Life” – was shared on YouTube. In the interview, Scott Forstall is asked about working for Steve Jobs and how that relationship affected creativity. The interview took place in October, but only today has the full video been uploaded to YouTube.
Co-host Ken Taylor pointed to Jobs’ reputation as a “brutally honest man,” and asked Forstall how creativity was able to thrive in such an environment. The former Apple executive explained that Apple was always 100 percent committed to an idea:
“I think when we were working on a given project, on new features, we protected that bud of a new idea and we were very careful about that. Certainly, if we got to a point where an idea was not good, we would cut it, but at the moment where we considered whether or this was worth doing, we 100 percent would support that. You can actually create an environment to support creativity.”
For his part in fostering creativity, Forstall explained that after finishing a release of Mac OS X, he would allow his team to have one month to work on whatever they wanted:
“One thing I would do when we were working on Mac OS X, whenever a release was finished, I would give every single person in the department an entire month anything they wanted. For a month. It’s kind of insane because you’re talking thousands of people for a month, millions of dollars of salary spent for a month for people to do whatever they wanted and they would work so hard that month coming up with incredible ideas.”
After this month was over, everyone would present their creations to Forstall. One such presentation was for a 10-foot interface – which ultimately led to the creation of the Apple TV:
“In fact, one I saw was this idea of a 10-foot user interface, and we turned it into the Apple TV. Apple TV was invented because someone was encouraged to do whatever they wanted for a month. You can have that kind of environment to support creativity.”
Forstall was also asked about the idea of risk-taking in creative fields. He pointed to Apple’s decision to cancel the iPod mini prior to the launch of the iPod nano. Forstall said this could have devastated the company:
“I think you’re always taking risks. At Apple one time, we had been close to bankruptcy, we come out with the iPod and the iPod had been selling ok, we had the best-selling product unit-wise in the history of the company. Then we come out with the iPod nano.
We knew we were going to develop it, and we canceled the entire iPod mini line before we even shipped the new product and it could have devastated the company. But we did it because we believed in it and we took risks.”
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