Swift and Xcode Head Chris Lattner Leaving Apple for Tesla This Month [Updated]
Chris Lattner, director of Apple's Developer Tools group, has announced he will be leaving the company later this month to "pursue an opportunity in another space." Lattner was responsible for leading the teams behind Xcode, Swift, and some other development-related tools and compilers at Apple.
In a message posted to the Swift mailing list, shared by MacStories, Lattner said Ted Kremenek, currently Senior Manager of Languages and Runtimes at Apple, will be taking over as "Project Lead" for the Swift programming language, managing the "administrative and leadership responsibility" for Swift.org.
This recognizes the incredible effort he has already been putting into the project, and reflects a decision I’ve made to leave Apple later this month to pursue an opportunity in another space. This decision wasn't made lightly, and I want you all to know that I’m still completely committed to Swift. I plan to remain an active member of the Swift Core Team, as well as a contributor to the swift-evolution mailing list.
Lattner said he does not expect his resignation to impact day-to-day operations of the Swift team in any significant way. He also noted Apple's development of Swift 4 will continue under Kremenek. Apple previously said it will shift its focus to Swift 4 after Swift 3.1 is released over the coming months.
Latter is best known as the main author of the LLVM Compiler Infrastructure Project, a collection of modular and reusable compiler and toolchain technologies. He started development of Swift in 2010, and the open source programming language was introduced for Apple software platforms at WWDC 2014.
Update: Chris Lattner is leaving Apple for Tesla, where he will fill the position of Vice President of Autopilot Software and lead Tesla's autopilot engineering team.
Popular Stories
Apple is developing an all-new operating system codenamed "Charismatic," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
Apple smart home hub concept
This is likely Apple's long-rumored "homeOS" operating system.
In a report this week, Gurman said both Apple's rumored smart home hub in 2026 and tabletop robot in 2027 will run the new operating system. He said the software platform will blend...
Last week, Apple released and then pulled a software tool that accidentally contained identifiers for many unreleased devices and chips, according to MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. His findings included new models of the Studio Display, Apple TV, Apple Watches, Apple Vision Pro, iPad mini, HomePod mini, and more.
Here is what was uncovered in the file, according to MacRumors contributor ...
The seventh developer beta of iOS 26 is now available. While we are now in the later stages of the iOS 26 beta cycle, there are still some changes.
Below, we outline everything new that we have found in iOS 26 beta 7 so far.
Redesigned Blood Oxygen Feature
The seventh developer betas of iOS 26 and watchOS 26 include a redesigned Blood Oxygen feature on Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch ...
Alleged images of the iPhone 17 Pro Max's internal design have surfaced, offering a potential look inside the device before it is announced by Apple next month.
The images were shared by the account "yeux1122" this week, in a blog post on the Korean platform Naver. The account aggregates Apple rumors and leaks, so it is likely not the original source of the images, and it is unclear if they...
Apple is expected to delay the launch of its base iPhone 18 model until spring 2027, marking a major shift in the company's long-established release cycle, according to South Korea's ETNews.
The report claims that Apple has informed some of its suppliers that the iPhone 18 will not be part of the September 2026 iPhone lineup. Instead, the company will unveil only higher-end models in the...
At least one new Apple Watch model launching next year will feature a "significant redesign," according to Taiwanese supply chain publication DigiTimes.
In a paywalled report this week, citing supply chain insiders, DigiTimes claimed that a high-end 2026 Apple Watch model will feature "exterior design" changes, including but not limited to "eight sensors arranged in a ring pattern visible...
As we wait for WWDC to kick off next Monday, Apple today announced the winners of its annual Apple Design Awards, recognizing apps and games for their innovation, ingenuity, and technical achievement.
The 2025 Apple Design Award winners are listed below, with one app and one game selected per category:
Delight and Fun - CapWords (App) and Balatro (Game)
Innovation - Play (App) and PBJ -...
