Apple’s Craig Federighi Sends Email To Aspiring Developer

Craig Federighi is currently Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering, and it looks like he’s hoping to inspire the next wave of aspiring developers, according to a report from iMore.

The Apple website states that Federighi and his teams are responsible for delivering the software that powers Apple’s innovative lineup of products. This includes the user interface, applications, and frameworks found across Apple’s creations. Federighi returned to Apple in 2009 to lead macOS engineering, and later took on responsibility for Apple’s iOS as well, which means he’s worked on all the “subsequent releases of the world’s most advanced desktop and mobile operating systems.”

Before making the decision to return to Apple, Federighi worked at NeXT and then spent a decade at Ariba, an internet e-commerce pioneer where he held several roles, including chief technology officer. The senior vice president attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he earned a Master of Science degree in Computer Science and a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

With a resume like that, it’s not hard to see why aspiring developers would look to Federighi for advice on how to land an engineering role at a major technology company like Apple. One such developer is Reddit user Aedengeo, who shared an email he received after reaching out to Federighi.

“There are many different roads to this destination…I think the following were important for me,” Federighi began, before listing the things that helped him along his own journey.

Federighi’s first suggestion focused on education, and he told the young developer to “dedicate yourself to your studies.” He continued by saying it’s important to “go broad and deep” in order to become an expert in “your area of specialization” but also to look for inspiration from other disciplines.

“Engineering and design are team activities, so find opportunities to continue your development in written and spoken communication,” Federighi continued.

Finally, the Apple engineer said it’s always best to “follow your heart.”

“Several times along the way I was forced to choose between options that looked good ‘on paper’ (i.e to my analytical mind) and opportunities that ‘felt right.’ Listening to my heart ultimately paid off in ways I couldn’t have anticipated at the time.”

Of course, this isn’t the first time Federighi has taken the time to respond to feedback and requests from users. Earlier this year, he also offered some thoughts on a scheduling feature in iMessage and before that, he assured another user that a lyric visualizer would be implemented in Apple Music on iOS 13, which was released in September of this year, as previously reported by The Inquisitr.

Federighi has also been featured on a handful of vlogs and podcasts with popular personalities in the tech space, including Editor-in-Chief of MacStories, Federico Viticci, and YouTuber Marques Brownlee.