Has Apple hired ex-Microsoft exec Sam Jadallah to refocus their strategies?
Sam Jadallah is the former CEO of a smart lock company that was closed over a year ago, but now he seems to have a new job. It’s been confirmed from the trusted sources that He’ll be leading the home initiatives at Apple.
Recruiting Jadallah is the key strategy that Apple plans to get significant about its efforts in the home. It has been reported in recent times that the company has obtained a start-up called Pullstring, a start-up that concentrates in voice-enabled toys. This investment may help the Smartphone creator to become the center of a globally connected living room market.
It is to be noted that in the reflection of his new role with Apple Sam Jadallah has updated his LinkedIn profile.
Apple has been making some slight movement forward into the living space for years, with the launch of HomeKit and HomePod which is powered by Siri. HomePod is already showing a lag compared to its competitors in spite of making some stability improvements. Apple’s latest recruit and the recent purchase of a voice technology company seems to point out that they are refocusing their strategies.
Both Apple and Jadallah refused to make any comment on the recruitment news.
Jadallah had spent about twelve years at Microsoft where he was a corporate officer and VP, Worldwide Enterprise Sales. Sam Jadallah main focus was guiding the SMB and Channel efforts for Microsoft. At his prime time, he contributed for the development of the Microsoft Certified, Microsoft Open License, Microsoft TechNet and Microsoft Premier Support brands. Directly reporting for Steve Ballmer, he worked as general manager of Worldwide Business Strategy and led Microsoft.com during its initial stages of development. He also served as an executive sponsor for Microsoft’s accessibility program to make Microsoft products effectively designed for all users.
Sam is also a co-founder and CEO of Securaseal Innovations LLC, a hardware and services technology company creating connected products for the home market. After Securaseal, Sam was a General Partner at Mohr Davidow Ventures (A Capital Market Company) and M.D of Internet Capital Group.
Sam Jadallah ran a start-up called Otto, which made a $700 worth lock that, was funded by the Greylock Partners a Leading Silicon Valley Venture Firm. Otto suspended its operations for 4months after launching its Bluetooth- and Wi-Fi-featured luxury lock.
About 70% of the prior team behind Otto was sacked from Apple’s ranks; Jadallah has said earlier that reviewers positively connected the lock to the “Apple of smart locks.” It is uncertain that Sam will bring these prior employees with him, or will have fresh recruits. There is a huge list of job openings in Apple’s home division.
When we think about tech giants moving into the globally connected living room market, Apple’s major competitors are rivals like Alphabet and Amazon. All these three companies have high-tech hardware and software that controls everything from turning lights on and off using voice, to playing music. Apple’s HomePod only has a small share of the market when compared to Amazon’s Echo and Google Home.
