forstallAfter being forced out of Apple in 2012 following a major Maps debacle and clashes with other execs, former Apple Senior Vice President of iOS Software Scott
Forstall has kept a low profile, largely staying out of the public eye.

He hasn't taken on a major role at any company, but in late 2013, news surfaced suggesting he had been spending his time advising startups and becoming involved in philanthropical causes. As of today, news has leaked about one of the startups Scott Forstall is involved in -- Snapchat.

A leaked email from the late 2014 Sony Pictures hack discovered by TechCrunch suggests that Scott Forstall has been serving as an advisor to popular ephemeral photo sharing app Snapchat, earning himself .11% of the company's stock. Forstall's shares in the company vest over the course of 24 months and could be worth approximately $16.5 million at Snapchat's current $15 billion valuation.

When TechCrunch questioned Snapchat about its relationship with Scott Forstall, the company did not deny that he was an advisor, stating "we have a number of advisors, but we don't comment on the specifics of their relationship with the company."

Scott Forstall first fell in league with Apple in 1992, when he took on a job at Steve Jobs' company, NeXT. When NeXT was acquired by Apple in 1997, Forstall stayed on, working on the Macintosh user design team. He was promoted several times and in 2005, he began working on iOS. Forstall has been largely credited with the skeuomorphic design present in the early years of the operating system, an aesthetic that eventually led to disagreements with other executives at the company following Steve Jobs' death.

Top Rated Comments

QCassidy352 Avatar
129 months ago
I think the real story here is that someone thinks Snapchat is worth $15b.
Score: 28 Votes (Like | Disagree)
C DM Avatar
129 months ago
Apple maps is still a disaster. How Apple can in good conscious promote it on devices such as their apple watch as a benefit is a mystery.

A disaster that works just fine if not better for many people.
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
farewelwilliams Avatar
129 months ago
because he enjoys things that are available for a period of time before they suddenly get removed
Score: 23 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Osxguy Avatar
129 months ago
I hope Scott reads this. Honestly I'm heart broken. I loved the older design of the iOS. I believed it was easier for many older customers to understand. I know that apple doesn't build its operating system around seniors but I'm willing to bet that many seniors may have a hard time understanding it. I don't mind the new system but I don't like it either. I preferred the stylized leather back ground in iCal. The clean look of the new is is beautiful. Just not easy to learn if you are an older person coming into an operating system for the first time.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ndpitch Avatar
129 months ago
I wouldn't be found at any major companies, either, if I was worth over 40 million dollars (his apple stock alone).

A better place to find me in said scenario would be the 7th tee at 1 PM on a Tuesday.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
2457282 Avatar
129 months ago
The next release of snapchat will be skeuomorphic. :D
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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