Joe Hewitt, the developer behind the popular Facebook iOS app, has officially left the company. Even though he has been around since FaceBook’s initial launch on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch, Hewitt noted that he didn’t leave the company on bad terms.
Normally when I leave a job I go out cursing the management and wishing I had left much sooner. In the case of Facebook, I sent heartfelt emails to all of my managers thanking them for the privilege of letting me work there, and I genuinely meant it. Facebook was the longest I ever worked at one company, and the best employer I’ve ever had.
Hewitt is planning to work independently on tools that will help studios attempting to balance mobile, cloud, and HTML5 developmental needs.
And so, I’m independent now, and I’m going to pour myself into understanding the needs of modern developers and designers, and creating software to fill those needs. There are so many opportunities that I can’t even predict what I will end up building, but I am pretty sure I know where I am going to start. I can’t wait.
Hewitt’s farewell in its entirety can be found on his blog.