Denise Young Smith , who is black, angered activists during this year’s One Young World Summit in Bogota when she defended the diverse “life experience” that Apple ’s white employees bring to the table.
The executive apologized within days, but the company now says she will head to Cornell Tech at the end of the year.
An Apple source told Tech Crunch on Thursday that Ms. Smith ’s departure was discussed with CEO Tim Cook roughly one year ago, despite the announcement after six months on the job.
“We deeply believe that Diversity drives innovation,” an Apple spokesperson said in a statement to TechCrunch.
“We’re thrilled to welcome an accomplished leader like Christie Smith to help us continue the progress we’ve made toward a more diverse workplace.”
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