He Helped Build the iPod; Now He Has Built a Rival - New York Times

He Helped Build the iPod; Now He Has Built a Rival - New York Times: "Samsung's decision to hire Mr. Mercer is significant because Apple, in designing the original iPod four years ago, turned to Pixo Inc., the company Mr. Mercer founded after he left Apple in 1994 to create software for hand-held devices.
Apple used Pixo software to create the music player's simple interface, and Pixo's name appeared in the credits of the original iPod MP3 player. Sun Microsystems acquired Pixo in 2003."

Interesting pattern, with key developers leaving Apple and then helping to later save it; see Revolution in the Valley for more insider historical accounts.