He is being referred to as
the most valuable free agent
in technology. But while Scott Forstall may walk away from Apple
(NASDAQ:
AAPL
) with a powerful resume and a mountain of media hype, his
departure might actually be a blessing for the company. Apple is
unlikely to say exactly why Forstall is leaving the firm, but
that has not stopped
The Wall Street Journal
from sharing its story. According to the publication, Forstall
was more or less forced out of the company after he refused to
sign an apology for the company's ill-fated attempt at building
its own mapping application.
If this is true, some investors might think that it was unfair
for the company to place all (or a significant portion) of the
blame on one man. While Forstall may have been instrumental in
the implementation of the new Maps app, he was not the only man
responsible. Other executives had to have signed off on this
project.
Fans of Forstall may believe that he should not have to
apologize if he had nothing to do with the Maps app. This is
true, but this is also where he gets into trouble. As the senior
VP of iOS, Forstall has (perhaps unintentionally) taken all the
credit for iOS. He is literally the face of Apple's mobile
software division, appearing on stage at press events and in
promotional videos. He talks like an executive, walks like an
executive and looks like an executive.
And as the world is beginning to learn, he behaves like one as
well.
Forstall could have simply accepted blame for the mapping
blunder and maintained his position at Apple. It may not have
been the cool thing to do, but as the leader of iOS it was
his
responsibility.
That is not to say that people should accept blame for a bad
product they did not create. Other, more senior executives may be
the ones who are truly responsible. But the same could be said
for all of Forstall's accomplishments. There are dozens -- if not
hundreds -- of men and women who made iOS what it is today. Where
were they on stage when Forstall told WWDC 2011 attendees about
the great new features of iOS 5?
He has managed to maintain the image that he is solely
responsible for iOS' success. He may not have sought that image,
but he has done nothing to dispel it either.
If Forstall
was
to blame for the lousy mapping application, he absolutely should
have apologized. Steve Jobs may not have expected him to
apologize, but this is no longer Jobs' Apple. It is Tim Cook's
Apple, and with it comes a host of new challenges. Forstall
should have realized that and considered his future with the
company -- or lack thereof -- before refusing to take the
blame.
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@LouisBedigianBZ
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