Former VP of Amazon’s A9 Search Technology Group to join Apple

Benoit Dupin — formerly the VP of Amazon’s A9 Search Technology Group — has left the company to take a job with Apple. The executive’s profile disappeared from the Amazon A9 site earlier this week, and his LinkedIn profile now positions him as a “director” at Apple. More uncertain is what Dupin’s new responsibilities are, but a source says that he’s working with the search technology team behind Maps, the iTunes Store, and the App Store. It’s suspected that the hiring could be intended to replace Cathy Edwards, who is leaving Apple this month. Edwards was one of the co-founders of Chomp, an app search firm Apple bought in 2012. She first assumed a position as head of Search and Measurement, tasked with the search systems for Maps, iTunes, and the App Store. Later, though, she became the director of Evaluation and Quality for the Maps division.