Siri co-founder Kittlaus leaves Apple, report says
Dag Kittlaus, who co-founded Siri, the company that created the service that has become a cornerstone of the iPhone 4S, has left Apple.
Now that the iPhone 4S is on store shelves, Siri co-founder Dag Kittlaus, who headed up Apple's development of the service, has left the Cupertino, Calif.-based company, a new report claims.
Citing sources, All Things Digital is reporting that Kittlaus decided to leave Apple to spend time with his family in Chicago, take time off, and establish new start-ups. According to All Things Digital, Kittlaus left Apple just after the iPhone 4S launched earlier this month.
Kittlaus co-founded Siri in 2007. The company quickly gained notoriety and was acquired by Apple in 2010 for a rumored $121 million. Since then, Kittlaus worked at Apple to lead the development of Siri for its eventual launch on iOS.
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Siri is the cornerstone of Apple's iPhone 4S. The application allows users to give voice commands to the iPhone, which are then carried out by the service. Siri helps users send e-mails, place calls, and search the Web, among many other functions. CNET's Kent German said in his review of the iPhone 4S, "Siri is a fun and useful feature."
Although the Siri team at Apple has lost its leader, according to All Things Digital, other executives that played an integral role in the development of the application are still at Apple and will remain there.
Apple did not immediately respond to CNET's request for confirmation that Kittlaus has left the company.