Tony Fadell: Apple's Scott Forstall 'got what he deserved'

The former Apple VP who built 18 generations of iPods and 3 of iPhones breaks silence

Fadell on the BBC. Click for video.

FORTUNE -- We don't know what kind of legal constraints have prevented former Apple (AAPL) senior vice presidentTony Fadell from speaking to the press about the circumstances that led to his departure in 2008, but apparently he felt it gave him enough wiggle room to talk to the BBC about the man whoreportedly forced him out.

The BBC's Leo Kelion, wrapping up an interviewabout Fadell's new venture -- a "smart" thermostat called Nest-- asks him three times to expand on reports of "clashes and tension and [Scott Forstall] raiding your team" and gets three variations of the same answer:

A: I think we know what really happened. Scott got what he deserved, and we move on.

A: I think what happened a few weeks back was deserved and justified and it happened.

A: Again, I think what he deserved, he got.

Q: Where do you think that leaves Apple without him?

A: I think Apple's in a great place. Actually, if you read some of the reports, people in Cupertino were cheering when that event happened. And so I think Apple's in a great space. It has great products. There are other amazing people at the company. And I think those people actually have a chance to have a firm footing now and continue the legacy that Steve [Jobs] left.

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