Written by 
Doing anything for 25 years is a pretty big deal. Being a part of Apple for 25 years has been the privilege and experience of a lifetime.
My last day at Apple was exactly a week ago today. I’d always dreamed of being a part of Apple but never imagined it would be a reality. The most productive and exciting years of my career have been with Apple, and I’ll be forever grateful for the opportunity to meet and work with thousands of creative and passionate developers, designers, and students worldwide.
These developers came from all walks of life to do incredible things every single day. They adopted — and then pushed the limits of — the “Aqua” look and feel to make fun and “delicious” designs in the early years of Mac OS X. They created the first iPhone apps and games that blew us all away. They broke new ground with the first apps for iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro. They were ready on Day 1 with apps for Intel. They were ready again for Apple Silicon. And they worked hard to adopt the new technologies and features in every OS and device Apple released in the last 2.5 decades. These developers and their apps — some of whom became Apple Design Award winners — pushed things forward and raised the bar for all those who followed.
There are no words to describe how grateful I am for the opportunity to work side-by-side with so many great people at Apple. Apple is an immensely special place — far greater than the sum of its parts. Together, we did a lot.
We released the platforms and tools that helped bring incredible products to life. We inspired developers to do some of the best work of their careers. We rewrote the original Apple Human Interface Guidelines for Mac OS X Aqua, and then authored multiple editions of the HIG for every platform that followed. We met developers in their hometowns for Tech Talks. We met one-on-one with teams working on the next big app or game. We grew the Apple Design Awards from a small ceremony on the Infinite Loop lawn to a major event on the WWDC Keynote stage. We saw firsthand the impact the ADAs made on the winners, and the inspiration they brought to others in the community.
We poured our heart and soul into making WWDC better and better every year. We pivoted on a dime to go online during the pandemic. We pivoted again to bring people back to Cupertino for the Special Event at Apple Park. We designed and opened the Apple Developer Center Cupertino. And so, so much more.
I’ve been in technology and software for almost 40 years, but I’m now taking some time off to breathe, take inventory, recalibrate, and create the space to discover what’s next. I can’t wait to find the next wonderful things that will inspire, bring joy, and allow me to continue to invest in others.
For a skinny teenager from Canada who started programming on an Apple II in the late ‘70s and eventually ended up at Apple helping developers build great apps, it’s been an amazing journey.
Please stay in touch.
John