The latest in a string of Apple senior executives to leave the company this year is John Theriault, Apple's Vice President of Global Security. 9to5mac broke the news on Thursday, which was then confirmed separately by other sources.
The rumors say that Theriault was pushed by Apple into "early retirement," likely due to a couple high-profile incidents involving lost iPhone prototypes. These incidents, while embarrassing to the company, were mostly criticized for Apple's handling of the situations. The first incident occurred in March 2010, and was widely publicized as Gizmodo bought the prototype iPhone 4 from the men who found it in a Redwood, California bar. That case wrapped in October, with the two men pleading no contest and receiving a light punishment.
The second security goof happened in July of this year, when an iPhone 4S prototype was found in San Francisco. This time, Apple employees searched the home of Sergio Calderon, the man who found the device, but failed to find the prototype. The San Francisco Police Department claims that its officers never entered Calderon's home. Calderon then accused the Apple employees of impersonating police officers and stated that he would file suit against the company if he did not get answers from the police and Apple about what happened. Calderon's lawyer said that he and Apple are currently in negotiations over the situation.
Theriault joined Apple in 2007. He previously worked at Pfizer Inc. as Chief Security Officer and in the FBI as a special agent. His departure comes just days after Senior Vice President of Retail Ron Johnson left the company. Also leaving Apple in the last few months were Senior Vice President of Mac OS X Bertrand Serlet, Vice President of Mobile Advertising Andy Miller, Creative Director Sarah Brody, and Siri co-founder Dag Kittlaus. With Steve Jobs gone, perhaps these executives thought it time to move on from Apple.
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