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Apple hires top Amazon search exec to take over Siri
Stasior to take another function behind the garden wall?
Apple has reportedly nicked top Amazon exec and search maestro William Stasior to head up its Siri division.
Adam Cheyer, who co-founded Siri before it was slurped by Apple in 2008, and CEO Dag Kittlaus both left the company in the last two years, leaving an empty spot at the helm. Stasior will step in to run the fruity firm's iPhone personal assistant, sources told AllThingsD.
Stasior, a former AltaVista executive, was chief and co-founder of A9, Amazon's search and advertising subsidiary, before ditching the etailer for Apple. He also did time at Oracle and Netcentives before he landed at Amazon in 2003.
Of course, with his background in search, it's also possible that Apple wants to get its hands on him so it can further reduce the Google gear you can get on iPhones. The firm has already ditched Google Maps and it might like to throw Mountain View's Search after it.
Apple had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication. ®
Biting the hand that feeds IT
