Senior iOS product manager John Herbold leaves Apple; credited with key roles in iCloud, Photo Stream

“A senior iOS product manager at Apple, John Herbold, has left the company to become a product VP at a company called HealthTeacher,” iPodNN reports.

“According to the latter firm Herbold played a ‘key role’ in developing and launching iCloud, and led efforts in developing and marketing iCloud’s Photo Stream image sync technology,” iPodNN reports. “Prior to those efforts Herbold was a senior product manager on MobileMe, and was involved in the development of web and iOS apps as well as services.”

Read more in the full article here.

36 Comments

  1. What’s happening up there at Cupertino? First the retail guy, now an OS guy. Some people losing faith? Not good news for shareholders I reckon. How do you guys think about this?

    1. The guy who bought us MobileMe?

      And now the guy who bought us iCloud.

      Seriously folks, this is no big deal. Next time we’ll be panicking because the Janitor decides to leave.

    2. Oh, please! They have over 60,000 employees and 9000 are in Cupertino. A senior product manager is just a senior product manager. Noone’s ever heard of him. We’ve heard of Rubinstein, Johnson, Serlet, who were all on the Executive Management team, but even their leaving had or will have minimal impact.

  2. This is crazy. Apple is a very large company. Employees will leave, get hired, get sick, retire, … and no longer work for Apple. They are very talented people in general. Sometimes, they will work for a new company that enhances and uses Apple’s products and services.

    If they were getting pink slips like at RIMM or going to work for Microsoft, yes, that would be of interest people!

    Sorry to see someone of great value leave. But, if they got to work for say JC Pennies, I don’t see an issue with it.

    1. I don’t know what Apple’s turnover rate is, but most companies are in the 5 to 10% range, a year, so, with Apple’s 60,000 employees, that’s about 3000 to 6000 a year. Now, Cupertino staff would be about 450 to 900 a year.

  3. Good. Replace him with that webOS guy they picked up from Palm. Then maybe iOS won’t look so stagnant with tacked on pieces like the multi-tasking tray and now that notification bar.

    1. You are correct, all three guys. The Mac guy (from nextstep era) Serlet, retail guy and iOS guy. There’s no denying those Executives are of top list on any headhunters list. But those are three of the most important area in Apple business now. Really, I cannot assume that it’s just some random employee turnover. Nope.

      1. You have to look at why they are leaving. Serlet wanted to go back into academics (understandable that the stress of creating the best OS ever for nearly 2 decades (including NeXT) would wear on one. The Retail Guy left to become a CEO and the iOS guy left to become a VP. These aren’t lateral moves but moves up the ladder. There are only so many senior positions at any company. People who aspire to those roles either have to wait or sometimes move.

    1. Because if you ever knew anyone that worked there they will tell you that it’s not a fun place. It’s not Google or even Microsoft. And the pay is better,generally, elsewhere. You work there until you don’t have to. Then you move on and enjoy life. Surely this is no revelation to informed AAPL followers?

  4. This happens all the time in many big companies.

    People are on their way up. They need to take the move that works for them.

    It wouldn’t even be noticed if this were a less scrutinized company but with APPL there’s someone counting every sneeze and hiccup over there.

    And we’ve never even heard of this guy before. Get a life!

  5. Maybe he accomplished all he intended to at Apple. People leave good organizations for many reasons- it’s not always because it’s intolerable.
    Besides, who knows what kind of deal he got.

  6. just casually Googling, these are some of the people Apple has HIRED in the last while:

    June: Peter Hajas for Push Noification

    May: Kristic, security expert

    (earlier)
    Benjamin Vigier: wireless payment guru

    Elliot Peters: Warner Music Legal expert

    Kevin Kenny: Carbon composite expert

    David Rice: NSA security analyst

    Richard DeVaul: Wearable Technologies expert

    Rich Dellinger: Palm OS designer

    etc. (probably plenty more that didn’t make the press)

    (I have no clue if they are still at Apple but it goes to illustrate companies change staff. Unfortunately every person leaving apple – according to some apple hating blogs elsewhere – is supposed to be Doom for Apple)

  7. Sounds like he was made to stay on, and released when the problem is fixed …. Can his new job pay as well as Apple.

    If three apples fall from the tree, can we assume a wind-storm? I think not.

  8. It’s all part of Steve’s master succession plan: gradually replace all senior employees with sentient robot equivalents so that Apple’s leadership remains strong forever. Never again will investors worry about Steve’s health!

  9. I’m not worried about people leaving Apple. Every company is required to ‘breathe’ on a regular basis. Out with the old air, in with the new air. Hopefully some deadwood goes out with the old air.

    What I want to know is who is coming IN to Apple to take on new roles. How about reporting THAT news as well? Considering that Apple is THE innovative company amidst todays self-destructive biznizz culture, I suspect Apple has their pick of quality people asking for an entrance key.

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