Unexpected Encounter with Craig Federighi in New York
During my recent visit to New York City, I had an unexpected and truly memorable encounter with one of the most prominent figures in the tech world Craig Federighi, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Software Engineering.
As we walked and talked, I reminded him that we had first crossed paths at WWDC. I shared with him that I’m originally from Syria from the city of Homs, which happens to be the birthplace of Steve Jobs’ biological father. He smiled warmly and asked what brought me to New York.
I explained that I had been at the United Nations, where we raised the Syrian flag for the first time in 14 years since the revolution — a deeply symbolic and emotional moment for Syrians around the world. I spoke about the resilience of the Syrian people and how, despite years of hardship, they continue to work towards rebuilding a new Syria.
Craig was genuinely touched. He expressed admiration for the strength and sacrifices of Syrians and said he was happy to hear that the people are rising again after everything they’ve been through. I joked with him, saying: “Alright, time to open an Apple Store in Syria!” — and he gave me his famously calm and classic smile .
Since I’m also part of the Apple team, we naturally spoke a bit about company-related matters. A short video was taken during our conversation, though it has no audio due to the internal nature of the content.
This spontaneous encounter brought together so many layers — history, innovation, identity, and hope. It was a moment that reminded me how powerful human connection can be, even in the most unexpected settings. I left that meeting inspired, re-energized, and reminded of why we keep building for our communities, for the future, and for a better world.
