iCloud AltPatrick Gates, Apple's senior director of engineering for iCloud, FaceTime, and iMessage, is leaving the company to join a stealth startup called Humane, reports The Information.

Gates has been with Apple for close to 14 years, and he took over ownership of iCloud services infrastructure after Eric Billingsly left the company in 2017.

The startup that Gates is joining, Humane, was created by former Apple employees Imran Chaudhri and Bethany Bongiorno. Chaudhri is well known as the designer of the interface for the original iPhone and a former member of Apple's UI team. He was at Apple for more than 20 years before departing in 2017.

Humane is a secretive company working on "innovative technology that feels familiar, natural, and human," with the self-described mission of creating the next shift between humans and computing.

Top Rated Comments

AngerDanger Avatar
82 months ago
When your partner's parents ask what you do for a living, but you design sex-bots…

Humane ('https://hu.ma.ne') is a secretive company working on "innovative technology that feels familiar, natural, and human," with the self-described mission of creating the next shift between humans and computing.
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mccaffertee Avatar
82 months ago
Apple has got fat and lazy and doesn’t seem to have a razor sharp focus anymore. Look how little progress there has been made from 2012 till now.
I became an Apple guy after I purchased a 17" MacBook Pro in 2003 and was mezmorized by the culture and cool factor. So, I got the Airport router, then the Airport Express so I could sit outside on the deck, then an iPod for exercising, then a monitor, keyboard and mouse setup for my office, then an iPad, then iMac for home office, then a MacBook Pro for the wife, then an Apple TV, and another iPad, and the Time Capsule backup drive, and the iPhone, and another for the wife. The apps all synchronized and made it so simple for my wife. I bought my mom and MacBook, I convinced friends to switch. And every year, we spent big $$$$$ to have the latest and greatest Apple toys. They were different, they looked cool...I kept up-to-date with everything Apple, I couldn't wait for the newest OS to drop, or to see what the heck they would invent next, or how cool they could design the next big thing.

I found Mac Rumors and made it more important than the news with hopes to get a peek at the "next big thing" and to learn the tips and tricks (because Apple never gives us features instructions), but we didn't care...half the fun was figuring it out. The box that the hardware came in was off-the-charts cool. And, most importantly, because "It Just Worked"

Today, well, I could care less. I am either burnt out on Apple, or they have lost their MoJo...there's no routers, no backup capsule, no monitors, no airport. My new iPhone XS looks like my kids friends old iPhone 6. And the new MacBook Pro looks like my old MacBook Pro from 2012, so who cares. I spent money to stay in the Apple Eco-System, but if the majority of the Eco-System isn't available anymore, WHY should I spend double on a MacBook Pro if I need to buy a different brand router, and etc.... but hey, they are developing some secret electric car.

October 06, 2011... the beginning of the end.
Apple has been riding out the momentum of prior innovation and banked lots of cash.
I say great job alienating the core customer base.
:(
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HJM.NL Avatar
82 months ago
Can’t blame them for leaving. Apple has got fat and lazy and doesn’t seem to have a razor sharp focus anymore. I’ll bet that there are too many restrictions at Apple to be innovative or being able to stand above the crowd.

Look how little progress there has been made from 2012 till now. Competitors have caught up to Apple and on many fronts leapfrogged Apple in areas where it once was king.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
eatrains Avatar
82 months ago
Look how little progress there has been made from 2012 till now. Competitors have caught up to Apple and on many fronts leapfrogged Apple in areas where it once was king.
Not really. Google is nowhere near matching iMessage. Microsoft is struggling to cobble together a Handoff/Continuity knockoff. Nothing is as seamless as iCloud Backup.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HJM.NL Avatar
82 months ago
I became an Apple guy after I purchased a 17" MacBook Pro in 2003 and was mezmorized by the culture and cool factor. So, I got the Airport router, then the Airport Express so I could sit outside on the deck, then an iPod for exercising, then a monitor, keyboard and mouse setup for my office, then an iPad, then iMac for home office, then a MacBook Pro for the wife, then an Apple TV, and another iPad, and the Time Capsule backup drive, and the iPhone, and another for the wife. The apps all synchronized and made it so simple for my wife. I bought my mom and MacBook, I convinced friends to switch. And every year, we spent big $$$$$ to have the latest and greatest Apple toys. They were different, they looked cool...I kept up-to-date with everything Apple, I couldn't wait for the newest OS to drop, or to see what the heck they would invent next, or how cool they could design the next big thing.

I found Mac Rumors and made it more important than the news with hopes to get a peek at the "next big thing" and to learn the tips and tricks (because Apple never gives us features instructions), but we didn't care...half the fun was figuring it out. The box that the hardware came in was off-the-charts cool. And, most importantly, because "It Just Worked"

Today, well, I could care less. I am either burnt out on Apple, or they have lost their MoJo...there's no routers, no backup capsule, no monitors, no airport. My new iPhone XS looks like my kids friends old iPhone 6. And the new MacBook Pro looks like my old MacBook Pro from 2012, so who cares. I spent money to stay in the Apple Eco-System, but if the majority of the Eco-System isn't available anymore, WHY should I spend double on a MacBook Pro if I need to buy a different brand router, and etc.... but hey, they are developing some secret electric car.

October 06, 2011... the beginning of the end.
Apple has been riding out the momentum of prior innovation and banked lots of cash.
I say great job alienating the core customer base.
:(
I hear you and sadly I could copy your writing. Apple has left us and their soul has gone. It has become a money focused company and I’m glad they’re struggling at the moment. This correction is coming years late and I’m afraid this wake up call is to late too. They’re getting behind on all important technology fronts. Years of neglect won’t get overhauled easy.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macduke Avatar
82 months ago
Not sure why but Humane sounds really creepy to me.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

AirPods Pro 3 Mock Feature

AirPods Pro 3 Just Months Away – Here's What We Know

Friday April 18, 2025 5:16 am PDT by
Despite being more than two years old, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 still dominate the premium wireless‑earbud space, thanks to a potent mix of top‑tier audio, class‑leading noise cancellation, and Apple's habit of delivering major new features through software updates. With AirPods Pro 3 widely expected to arrive in 2025, prospective buyers now face a familiar dilemma: snap up the proven...
iphone 17 air dummy unbox therapy

iPhone 17 Air's Extreme Thinness Demoed in New Video

Tuesday April 22, 2025 10:22 am PDT by
Apple plans to release an all-new super thin iPhone this year, debuting it alongside the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max. We've seen pictures of dummy models, cases, and renders with the design, but Lewis Hilsenteger of Unbox Therapy today showed off newer dummy models that give us a better idea of just how thin the "iPhone 17 Air" will be. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be ...
iphone 17 dummies sonny dickson

iPhone 17 Air Almost as Thin as Its Buttons, New Images Show

Thursday April 24, 2025 2:14 am PDT by
If you missed the video showing dummy models of Apple's all-new super thin iPhone 17 Air that's expected later this year, Sonny Dickson this morning shared some further images of the device in close alignment with the other dummy models in the iPhone 17 lineup, indicating just how thin it is likely to be in comparison. The iPhone 17 Air is expected to be around 5.5mm thick – with a thicker ...
ipad air windows 11 arm

M2 iPad Air Runs Windows 11 ARM via Emulation, Thanks to EU Rules

Tuesday April 22, 2025 5:01 am PDT by
A developer has demonstrated Windows 11 ARM running on an M2 iPad Air using emulation, which has become much easier since the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA) regulations came into effect. As spotted by Windows Latest, NTDev shared an instance of the emulation on social media and posted a video on YouTube (embedded below) demonstrating it in action. The achievement relies on new EU regulatory...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday April 17, 2025 4:12 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
iOS 18

iOS 18.5 Includes Only a Few Changes So Far

Monday April 21, 2025 11:00 am PDT by
Apple seeded the third beta of iOS 18.5 to developers today, and so far the software update includes only a few minor changes. The changes are in the Mail and Settings apps. In the Mail app, you can now easily turn off contact photos directly within the app, by tapping on the circle with three dots in the top-right corner. In the Settings app, AppleCare+ coverage information is more...
iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 13 New Features

Wednesday April 23, 2025 8:31 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of April 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...