Craig Federighi

Ariba, then back to the Mac

Federighi holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and computer science and a master's in computer science, both from UC Berkeley. He held several roles at Ariba, including chief technology officer.2

In August 2012 Apple promoted him to senior vice president, reporting to then-CEO Tim Cook. Two months later it gave him both iOS and OS X.23

Releases announced from the stage

Apple called iOS 7, shown in June 2013, its most significant iOS update since the original iPhone. In 2016 it said Siri handled two billion requests a week across 36 countries.45

For macOS Mojave in 2018, Federighi's release line read: "macOS Mojave is a major update that introduces powerful new features for a wide range of Mac users, from consumers to pros". Apple added that Mojave would support iOS apps through additional frameworks from late 2019.6

Two years later he called Big Sur Apple's biggest design update in more than a decade. Apple put its developer community at more than 20 million.7

Apple Intelligence and the privacy pitch

Federighi leads the teams responsible for privacy and security across Apple platforms. In June 2024 Apple announced Private Cloud Compute, which it said "allows Apple Intelligence to process complex user requests with groundbreaking privacy".111

At WWDC24 he introduced "brand-new Writing Tools that you can access systemwide". In September 2024 Apple said Writing Tools and a more natural Siri would reach iPhone, iPad and Mac.1213

The photo-scanning plan Apple dropped

In August 2021 a coalition of advocacy groups urged Apple to abandon its proposed CSAM-detection system, arguing that it could be repurposed to detect other content. Federighi said that "in hindsight, introducing these two features at the same time was a recipe for this kind of confusion", though he defended the system as more private than other approaches.89

In December 2022 Apple said it would not move forward with the iCloud Photos tool after consultation with experts.10

Courts and regulators, with Apple as the defendant

These cases are against Apple Inc., not Federighi. In Epic Games, Inc. v. Apple Inc., Epic alleged that Apple's App Store practices broke antitrust law, and Apple disputed that it was a monopolist. The court held that Epic had not proved an illegal monopoly but that Apple's anti-steering provisions violated California's unfair-competition law, and Federighi testified about Apple's security rationale.1419

In April 2025 the same court found Apple in wilful violation of its 2021 anti-steering injunction, and Apple said it planned to appeal. The Justice Department and 16 state and district attorneys general separately alleged that Apple illegally maintains a smartphone monopoly. Apple called that suit wrong on the facts and law, and on 30 June 2025 the court denied its motion to dismiss.1516171819

The European Commission found in April 2025 that Apple breached the Digital Markets Act's anti-steering obligation and fined it €500 million. Apple said it disagreed and planned to appeal.2021

Federighi, year by year

1. 2009

   Returned to Apple to lead Mac OS X engineering2

2. Aug 2012

   Apple promoted him to senior vice president2

3. Oct 2012

   Apple made him responsible for both iOS and OS X3

4. Jun 2013

   Apple unveiled iOS 7, which it called its most significant iOS update since the original iPhone4

5. Jun 2016

   Apple said Siri handled two billion requests per week across 36 countries5

6. Jun 2018

   Apple introduced macOS Mojave, with iOS app support through additional frameworks from late 20196

7. Jun 2020

   Apple introduced macOS Big Sur, which Federighi described as its biggest design update in more than a decade7

8. Aug 2021

   Privacy groups criticised Apple's proposed CSAM-detection system; Federighi said the combined announcement had caused confusion89

9. Dec 2022

   Apple said it would not move forward with the iCloud Photos CSAM-detection tool10

10. Jun 2024

    Apple announced Private Cloud Compute, and Federighi introduced systemwide Writing Tools at WWDC241112

11. Sep 2024

    Apple said Apple Intelligence features, including Writing Tools and a more natural Siri, were coming to iPhone, iPad and Mac13

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