Could This Guy Be The New Face of Apple Inc. (AAPL)?

When most people think about the face of Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), Tim Cook’s mug comes to mind. While there is nothing wrong with this, it is important to note that he is not the only employee powering the company. There are many others at the top of the company food chain that are doing big things.

If you paid any attention to the keynote during WWDC 2013, you probably recognized another face: Craig Federighi. While most people don’t know anything about him, it is safe to say that we may be hearing more in the near future.

Apple Inc. (AAPL)First off, let’s take a look at who Craig Federighi is and what his responsibilities are as an Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) employee.

As the senior vice president of software engineering, Federighi has a lot on his plate. One of the reasons why we may not have heard from him in the past is that he doesn’t have anything to do with the hardware side of the company. And as you know, this is what most people are interested in.

This time around, however, Apple was talking about its new operating system and this gave Federighi a chance to shine. And that is exactly what he did.

Since you may not have heard of Federighi before his most recent speaking engagement, it is easy to believe that he is a newcomer to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). This is not the case. In fact, he has been working at Apple since 1997 when his former company, Next, was acquired by Cupterino.

The Wall Street Journal gives a solid overview of his responsibilities:

“Mr. Federighi assumed the new role in October, when he stepped into the shoes of controversial mobile software chief Scott Forstall, who was widely admired by developers but pushed out of the company amid management clashes. Since then, Mr. Federighi has been running Apple’s mobile and Mac software groups, responsible for the features that power the iPhone, iPad and Mac.”

It was nice to see somebody other than Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) CEO Tim Cook getting face time.

While some employees would crack under the pressure, Federighi thrived. This was a pleasant surprise, and one that has many hoping to hear this up and coming professional speak again in the near future.

What do you think about Federighi? Share your thoughts on his performance in the comment section below.