As the Senior Vice President of Software Engineering, Craig Federighi is the main guy who can alter the future of iOS, macOS, and AI for Apple. This is what you need to know about the guy with the fantastic hair.
While Tim Cook is the best-known face of Apple, Craig Federighi comes in a very close second. A long-time presenter for the company during events, especially at WWDC, he is synonymous with the company's software launches and operating system updates.
That's handy, since he is Apple's Senior Vice President of Software Engineering. In that prominent role, he manages and guides the development of operating systems, apps, interface changes, and future technologies.
Despite having such a major role in the company, and being one of the top candidates for the role of the next CEO after Tim Cook, he's also considered one of the more fun members of leadership. His playful presentation style and a willingness to use humor has led to him becoming a walking, talking meme.
Here's the story of Craig Federighi, the software chief who is also referred to as “Hair Force One.”
Before, after, and before Apple again
Born in San Leandro, California, Federighi was introduced to computing by his mother, urging him to try out some Apple IIs at school. It led to him saving up for a TRS-80 Color Computer and a life in tech.
He attended the University of California, Berkeley, receiving a bachelor of science in electrical engineering and computer science in 1991. This was quickly followed by a master of science in computer science in 1993.
While at Berkeley, he wrote a technical report on a “Distributed Hierarchical Storage Manager for a Video-on-Demand system” for the ECCS Department in 1994.
Craig Federighi's slo-mo run during WWDC 2022. Image Credit: Apple
He also unexpectedly encountered Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who had left Apple at the time. Jobs had visited Berkeley, showing off the NeXTcube and recreating the Mac product launch to the…