Siri Co-Founder Adam Cheyer Said To Have Left Apple

According to Bloomberg, Siri co-founder and Apple Engineering Director post-acquisition Adam Cheyer has left the company. So far, the only information available is that Cheyer “recently” left the company, and little context is given about circumstances surrounding the departure.

Cheyer joined Apple in 2010 when Siri was acquired by Apple in a deal that is rumored to have cost Apple more than $200 million. Another of Siri’s three co-founders, Dag Kittlaus, left Apple in 2011, in order to be closer to family and focus on developing new ideas. Tom Gruber, the third co-founder, remains at Apple working in product design.

Bloomberg cites “three people familiar with the situation” as the source of the news, and provided no specific reason for the departure. It’s worth noting that Siri’s performance is often criticized, and attempts to make improvements seem to have had little effect on that reputation.

We’ve reached out to Apple for confirmation, and will be updating this story as more information becomes available.

Update: Cheyer has confirmed via an email to Xconomy that he has in fact left Apple, having left “some time ago” for “personal reasons.” He also added that he has “no plans” regarding his professional life in the immediate future.