Global Security Chief John Theriault Reportedly Leaves Apple

9to5Mac reports that Apple's vice president of global security John Theriault has left the company, marking yet another key executive departure this year.

While the reasons for Theriault's departure and his destination appear to be unconfirmed, speculation naturally turns toward this summer's loss of another iPhone prototype. Apple has received some criticism over its handling of the case, which involved Apple security personnel being escorted by San Francisco police to a home to where the device had been traced. Apple's security personnel conducted an unsuccessful search of the home, with the homeowner claiming to have believed that they were police officers and not private security agents.

theriault linkedin
John Theriault's LinkedIn profile

Theriault, a former FBI agent and Pfizer vice president, was profiled just two months ago for his role overseeing Apple's anti-counterfeiting efforts. That work has taken on increased importance with the proliferation of fake Apple products and even fake Apple retail stores popping up in a number of countries. The most publicized location for these counterfeiting operations has been China, where Apple has been stepping up its anti-counterfeiting efforts in support of its own increasing presence in the country.

Update: AllThingsD confirms that Theriault has left Apple, and while the reason for his departure is officially said to be retirement, sources indicate that the circumstances surrounding the latest lost iPhone case are indeed the root cause.

Popular Stories

iOS 26 Feature

iOS 26.1 to iOS 26.4 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Saturday October 18, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
iOS 26 was released last month, but the software train never stops, and iOS 26.1 beta testing is already underway. So far, iOS 26.1 makes both Apple Intelligence and Live Translation on compatible AirPods available in additional languages, and it includes some other minor changes across the Apple Music, Calendar, Photos, Clock, and Safari apps. More features and changes will follow in future ...
iphone air thickness

Apple Said to Cut iPhone Air Production Amid Underwhelming Sales

Friday October 17, 2025 8:29 am PDT by
Apple plans to cut production of the iPhone Air amid underwhelming sales performance, Japan's Mizuho Securities believes (via The Elec). The Japanese investment banking and securities firm claims that the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are seeing higher sales than their predecessors during the same period last year, while the standard iPhone 17 is a major success, performing...
ios 26 1 liquid glass opaque

iOS 26.1 Beta 4 Lets Users Control Liquid Glass Transparency with New Toggle

Monday October 20, 2025 10:57 am PDT by
With the fourth betas of iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS 26.1, Apple has introduced a new setting that's designed to allow users to customize the look of Liquid Glass. The toggle lets users select from a clear look for Liquid Glass, or a tinted look. Clear is the current Liquid Glass design, which is more transparent and shows the background underneath buttons, bars, and menus, while tinted ...
iOS 26

iOS 26.0.2 Update for iPhones Coming Soon

Friday October 17, 2025 7:35 am PDT by
Apple's software engineers continue to internally test iOS 26.0.2, according to MacRumors logs, which have been a reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. iOS 26.0.2 will be a minor update that addresses bugs and/or security vulnerabilities, but we do not know any specific details yet. The update will likely be released by the end of next week. Last month, Apple released iOS 26.0.1,...
Apple iPad Pro hero M5

New iPad Pro Has Six Key Upgrades Beyond M5 Chip

Saturday October 18, 2025 10:57 am PDT by
While the new iPad Pro's headline feature is the M5 chip, the device has some other changes, including N1 and C1X chips, faster storage speeds, and more. With the M5 chip, the new iPad Pro has up to a 20% faster CPU and up to a 40% faster GPU compared to the previous model with the M4 chip, according to Geekbench 6 results. Keep in mind that 256GB and 512GB configurations have a 9-core CPU,...
iPhone Siri Glow

Some Apple Employees Have 'Concerns' About iOS 26.4's Revamped Siri

Sunday October 19, 2025 7:39 am PDT by
iOS 26.4 is expected to introduce a revamped version of Siri powered by Apple Intelligence, but not everyone is satisfied with how well it works. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said some of Apple's software engineers have "concerns" about the overhauled Siri's performance. However, he did not provide any specific details about the shortcomings. iOS 26.4 will...
HomePod mini and Apple TV

Apple's Next Rumored Products: New HomePod Mini, Apple TV, and More

Thursday October 16, 2025 9:13 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro, and Vision Pro with its next-generation M5 chip, but previous rumors have indicated that the company still plans to announce at least a few additional products before the end of the year. The following Apple products have at one point been rumored to be updated in 2025, although it is unclear if the timeframe for any of them has...
m4 macbook air blue

M5 MacBook Air Coming Spring 2026 With M5 Mac Studio and Mac Mini in Development

Thursday October 16, 2025 3:57 pm PDT by
Apple plans to launch MacBook Air models equipped with the new M5 chip in spring 2026, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple is also working on M5 Pro and M5 Max MacBook Pro models that will come early in the year. Neither the MacBook Pro models nor the MacBook Air models are expected to get design changes, with Apple focusing on simple chip upgrades. In the case of the MacBook Pro, a m...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

New 14-Inch MacBook Pro Has Two Key Upgrades Beyond the M5 Chip

Thursday October 16, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
Apple on Wednesday updated the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with an M5 chip, and there are two key storage-related upgrades beyond that chip bump. First, Apple says the new 14-inch MacBook Pro offers up to 2× faster SSD performance than the equivalent previous-generation model, so read and write speeds should get a significant boost. Apple says it is using "the latest storage technology," ...

Top Rated Comments

jca24 Avatar
182 months ago
I see all these people leaving Apple, and the new 5th Avenue cube looks like a futuristic mosque from the Middle East.

Hence, Apple is becoming Walmart. :)

you have made a lot of dumb posts before, but this one is the dumbest!
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rdowns Avatar
182 months ago
Why are so many top execs leaving? This is the third one in the last few weeks, if my count is correct.

He is hardly a "top"executive.

Apple is becoming Walmart!

For the life of me, I can't make any sense of your post. What the hell does it mean?
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AppleScruff1 Avatar
182 months ago
Just a shot in the dark, but that might be a reason for his departure right there. Apple has this habit of keeping the best people. Looks like Theriault no longer belonged in that echelon, because he was lousy at his job. People usually get canned for that, you know.



If it's taken on "increased" importance, Theriault might not have been up to the task. A decision was probably made as a result.

We already know that Cook is doing some re-shuffling, promotions, and general house-cleaning. These activities were so conspicuous that there were numerous articles about it over the web a few days back. Maybe Theriault just got tossed into the dustbin.

Next!

I'd like to hear more of what you know about his job and what he was personally responsible for. Does your position in the company give you privy to behind the scenes dirt on management? Do they consult with you on these types of decisions? Thanks.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
applefan289 Avatar
182 months ago
Do you try to outdo yourself every day or does it come naturally?
A little bit of both. :)
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
AdeFowler Avatar
182 months ago
Why are so many top execs leaving? This is the third one in the last few weeks, if my count is correct.

I'm not sure he left or was shown the door.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jamesryanbell Avatar
182 months ago
Why are so many top execs leaving? This is the third one in the last few weeks, if my count is correct.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)