Workers thought replacement was unprepared

Apple CEO Tim Cook had to deal with an "insurrection" when it was announced that Bob Mansfield -- formerly Apple's senior VP for hardware engineering -- was retiring, three Bloomberg sources say. The people claim that after the announcement, several senior engineers on Mansfield's team complained to Cook; they argued that Mansfield's replacement, Dan Riccio, was unprepared for the importance of the job. To get Mansfield to return to the company, Cook reportedly offered him "an exorbitant package of cash and stock worth around $2 million a month."

The sources elaborate that Mansfield has been rehired as an adviser and to help manage his old department. Riccio is officially in charge of hardware engineering, but is presumably getting help from his predecessor for the time being.

While less famous than people like Cook or co-founder Steve Jobs, Mansfield has long been a staple of Apple's public presentations. In promotional videos in particular, he has often extolled the amount of effort Apple puts into its technology. He has worked for the company since 1999.

by MacNN Staff