The Facebook software engineer behind the social network’s successful iPhone App has quit the project, citing frustrations with Apple’s application approval methods.
Joe Hewitt made the announcement yesterday on his Twitter account, saying: “Time for me to try something new. I’ve handed the Facebook iPhone app off to another engineer, and I’m onto a new project”.
However, industry blog TechCrunch contacted Hewitt for more details, and he confessed that his decision was based on Apple’s policies.
“I respect their right to manage their platform however they want, however I am philosophically opposed to the existence of their review process. I am very concerned that they are setting a horrible precedent for other software platforms, and soon gatekeepers will start infesting the lives of every software developer.”
Hewitt also said developers should not have to have their applications approved by the company, and instead should be able to release their applications without any regulation.
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
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