Scott Forstall is an American software engineer, with a net worth of $100 million. Scott Forstall is best recognized for managing the initial software development team for Apple’s iPhone and iPad. He also worked as Apple’s senior vice president of iOS software from 2007 to 2012.
He was formerly considered Apple’s de facto “CEO in waiting,” but he eventually left the company and sold 95% of his shares. As we’ll show later in the piece, Scott should have kept those shares. Forstall’s other projects included co-producing the Broadway shows “Fun Home,” “Eclipsed,” and “Hadestown.”
Who is Scott Forstall?
Scott Forstall was born in 1969 in Kitsap County, Washington, as the second of three boys to Tom, an engineer, and Jeanne, a nurse. His older brother, Bruce, went on to become a senior software design engineer at Microsoft.
In school, Forstall was a brilliant student who excelled in programming. He completed AP science and math subjects in middle school and gained early programming experience on Apple IIe computers. Forstall started high school a year early, attending Olympic High School in Bremerton. He participated in competitive chess and trivia contests while there.
Forstall graduated as the class co-valedictorian, with a 4.0 GPA. He went on to Stanford University, where he finished with a bachelor’s degree in symbolic systems in 1991. Forstall later earned a master’s degree in computer science from Stanford.
How old is Scott Forstall?
He is currently 56 years old.
What is Scott Forstall’s net worth?
He is estimated to be worth $100 Million.
What is Scott Forstall’s career?
After graduating from Stanford, Forstall joined the computer technology startup NeXT, founded by Steve Jobs. He stayed with the company until it was acquired by Jobs’ Apple in 1997. Following the purchase, Forstall began designing user interfaces for the redesigned Macintosh series of computers.
In 2000, he became a key designer of the new Aqua user interface, which was well-known for its water-like visual clues.
In early 2003, Forstall was appointed to senior vice president of Apple iOS Software, bringing his work on Aqua to a new level of fame. In that capacity, he oversaw the development of the Safari web browser, an Apple software standard.
When Jobs first started working on the iPhone, he was torn between designing it as a more compact Macintosh computer and an enlarged iPod. To reach a conclusion, he pitted the Macintosh and iPod teams against each other; ultimately, Forstall and the Mac team won. In developing the iPhone, Forstall used an existing desktop operating system that allowed third-party Mac developers to produce software for the device. He also designed a software developer’s kit, which allowed programmers to make their own iPhone apps. The iPhone, one of the world’s two main smartphone platforms, is credited for altering both the mobile phone business and the app economy. In 2006, Forstall was given overall responsibility for Mac OS X releases; he later became senior vice president of iPhone Software.
Following the release of iOS 6 in 2012, Apple experienced a period of intense criticism and controversy. The newly launched Maps app was criticized for being clunky and underdeveloped, while the clock app was chastised for utilizing an illegal design based on the patented Swiss train clock. Not long after, it was revealed that Forstall was departing Apple. Although the particular cause for his leaving was never made public, it was assumed that he was thrown out of his post owing to an inability to collaborate peacefully with colleagues.
Apple CEO Tim Cook described Forstall as having a “disagreeable” demeanor, and it was later revealed that Forstall refused to write a formal apology for his errors in the Maps program. Furthermore, Forstall’s overall design style prompted considerable divisions among Apple’s design team members.
