Tony Fadell, the "father of the iPod," is leaving Apple after nine years for "greener pastures," according to The New York Times.

Fadell's departure from Apple has been gradual. In 2008, he stepped down as senior vice president of the iPod division, but has remained on Apple’s payroll as a special adviser to CEO Steve Jobs. He told "The Times" that he's moving on now to advise companies and pursue private investments with a focus on green technology.

Fadell was the first member of the iPod hardware engineering team when he joined Apple in 2001. He was promoted to vice president of iPod engineering in 2004. He became senior vice president of the iPod Division in April 2006.

Prior to joining Apple, Fadell was a co-founder, CTO, and director of engineering of the Mobile Computing Group at Philips Electronics where he was responsible for all aspects of business and product development for a variety of products. He later became vice president of business development for Philips U.S. Strategy & Ventures focused on building the company’s digital media strategy & investment portfolio. Prior to joining Philips, Fadell was a hardware and software architect at General Magic.

He graduated with a BS degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Michigan in 1991. He has filed more than 20 patents for his work.