Dag Kittlaus, the Norwegian-born former chief executive and co-founder of Siri, a voice recognition company absorbed by Apple and its software placed in the latest iPhone, has now left the company.
Kittlaus reportedly left because he wanted to move back to Chicago, a desire to take time off and becoming an enterpreneur again, according to AllThingsD. The leave was an amicable one, sources said.
Apple bought Siri last year, and Kittlaus and his crew came on board at Apple, where the voice recognition software was made part of its iPhone 4S, which launched 10 days ago. Kittlaus is said to have left just after the Oct. 14 launch, but key Siri executives are staying on at Apple.
It's not unusual for companies to be bought and its founders and staff come with the deal (sometimes the acquisition is solely for "talent" or employees.) It's likely that the sale of the company was made with the stipulation that Kittlaus stayed until the iPhone 4S launch. While some startup founders would like the security of a high-profile job with Apple, others probably chafe under the limitations imposed on them in a corporate setting. Either way, Kittlaus is now free to create a new company.
