Mac OS X's Creator Leaves Apple for Science

While Mac OS X was one of the defining differences between Apple computers and PCs, it didn't take long for the company to be known better for its media players, tablets and smartphones.

In fact, the growth of the mobile device segment for Apple has catapulted iOS into the spotlight, stealing much of it away from Mac OS X. Nevertheless, the operating system that powers the Apple desktops and laptops today are the main differentiating factor of Macs, which now run the same hardware as its PC brethren.

One of the original creators behind Mac OS X is leaving Apple, the company announced today. Bertrand Serlet, Apple’s senior vice president of Mac Software Engineering, will be leaving the company after working with Steve Jobs for over two decades. Craig Federighi, Apple’s vice president of Mac Software Engineering, will assume Serlet’s responsibilities and report to Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO.

“I’ve worked with Steve for 22 years and have had an incredible time developing products at both NeXT and Apple, but at this point, I want to focus less on products and more on science,” said Bertrand Serlet, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “Craig has done a great job managing the Mac OS team for the past two years, Lion is a great release and the transition should be seamless.”

Serlet joined Apple in 1997, and has been involved in the definition, development and creation of Mac OS X, the world’s most advanced operating system. Before joining Apple, Serlet spent four years at Xerox PARC, then joined NeXT in 1989. Serlet holds a doctorate in Computer Science from the University of Orsay, France.Federighi worked at NeXT, followed by Apple, and then spent a decade at Ariba where he held several roles including vice president of Internet Services and chief technology officer. He returned to Apple in 2009 to lead Mac OS X engineering. Federighi holds a Master of Science degree in Computer Science and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley.