Exec who battled for Flash exiting Adobe, heading to Apple

Kevin Lynch
Off to another orchard

Silicon Valley executive shakeups are nothing new, but one breaking cover today has a twist that makes it a bit more intriguing than your run of the mill resignation.

Kevin Lynch, chief technology officer at Adobe, is leaving the company on March 22.

A U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing reveals in sterile fashion that Lynch resigned as CTO and executive vice president Monday, and that the reason for his departure is "to pursue other opportunities."

While that's a reason régulier for many a resigning, it looks like Lynch may be moving on to riper fruit: In a statement sent to TechRadar, Adobe revealed Lynch is heading to Apple.

Apple bound

"Kevin Lynch, Adobe CTO, is leaving the company effective March 22 to take a position at Apple," the company's statement read.

"We will not be replacing the CTO position; responsibility for technology development lies with our business unit heads under the leadership of Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen.

"Bryan Lamkin, who has recently returned to Adobe, will assume responsibilities for cross company research and technology initiatives as well as Corporate Development. We wish Kevin well in this new chapter of his career."

Flash point

The knobby branch of Lynch's leaving rests on Flash, a technology the soon-to-be Apple employee has long defended.

Apple isn't known for its love of Flash, and in April 2010 Steve Jobs aired out why the company didn't have it on iPhones, iPads and iPods. The lack of Flash support holds true today.

Kevin Lynch was Adobe's go to guy when it came to responding to Apple's hostility toward the multimedia and video platform.

When Apple blocked use of Flash for developers, Lynch called the move a "protectionist strategy" that was "bad for consumers" in an interview with AllThingsD's Kara Swisher.

Moving on

However, tides change and Lynch, who reportedly aspired to take over as CEO of Adobe one day, clearly sees friendlier waters at Apple.

He will report to Bob Mansfield, who in October was appointed the head of Technologies at Apple. Though his new position is less senior than before, Lynch will reportedly coordinate work between Apple's hardware and software crews, an influential role if there ever was one.

Via AllThingsD

Michelle Fitzsimmons

Michelle was previously a news editor at TechRadar, leading consumer tech news and reviews. Michelle is now a Content Strategist at Facebook.  A versatile, highly effective content writer and skilled editor with a keen eye for detail, Michelle is a collaborative problem solver and covered everything from smartwatches and microprocessors to VR and self-driving cars.