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Apple Engineers Organizing Against Abuse With #AppleToo

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Apple's Headquarters, Apple Park, in Cupertino, CA

Photo: Arne Müseler/arne-mueseler.com/CC-by-SA-3.0

It seems things have reached a tipping point within Apple. Employees are sharing their stories from within Apple’s usually secretive culture and they’re alarming. Their stories include sexism, racial disparities, wage inequality, extreme violations of privacy, health issues, gaslighting, retaliation, and more. While the picture painted isn’t perhaps quite as bleak as that at Activision Blizzard or Riot Games, it’s reminiscent of the problems present throughout the tech industry. However, due to Apple’s often secretive nature, we haven’t heard these stories. Seemingly, on the surface, Apple seemed like the kind of place any Apple fan would love to work to make new products.

Instead, they find that sometimes Apple stores photos of their breasts.

Personally, as a software engineer, I no longer consider Apple my dream job.

Apple employees came together on an external Discord. They filled out surveys that shielded many of them from the all-seeing eye of Apple. From those discussions, they formed #AppleToo, and a website, appletoo.us. While their goals are currently unclear, the biggest thing they’re trying to do is force Apple’s hand. They want change within the company. Unfortunately, that’s going to take some external pressure. AppleToo could be what finally applies that pressure.

#AppleToo

AppleToo was founded by 15 current or former Apple employees. Since they started the website, at least eight current or former Apple employees have shared their story with the website. These may eventually see the light of day.

In many ways, #AppleToo was formed specifically to force Apple into accountability. The secretive company has avoided any serious problems in the public eye thanks to an internal process seemingly designed to silence employees. With the public turning on Apple, Apple may have to make more drastic changes.

” For too long, Apple has evaded public scrutiny. The truth is that for many Apple workers — a reality faced disproportionately by our Black, Indigenous, and other colleagues from minoritized racial, gender, and historically marginalized groups of people — the culture of secrecy creates an opaque, intimidating fortress. When we press for accountability and redress to the persistent injustices we witness or experience in our workplace, we are faced with a pattern of isolation, degradation, and gaslighting.”

– from the #AppleToo website

In many ways, AppleToo seems to be the beginning of a union. In fact, they specifically state that they “have joined together to organize and protect ourselves.” It’s not an uncommon idea in the software industry. Long hours, unsafe conditions, harassment, sexism, racism, prejudice, and other issues have plagued tech workers for decades. In the “work fast and break stuff” mentality of modern software development, engineers are burned out. That’s leading to increasingly reckless behavior and magnifying the worst traits of the software industry.

#AppleToo isn’t just for software engineers at Apple. The group is for all Apple employees. That is upwards of 147,000 employees. Together they can work towards better working conditions at Apple, as well as the tech industry as a whole. After all, the tech industry does love to follow Apple’s lead.

Why It’s Needed

After multiple attempts to gain insight into pay disparity at Apple, an external survey finally gathered over 2,000 participants for some insight. Cher Scarlett, who organized the survey, says she heard of managers discouraging employees from filling it out. Employees are, of course, allowed to discuss their salaries and demographic information with whoever they want. Threatening them for it is against the law. However, that doesn’t stop many managers, and Apple’s apparently no different.

“I was told that several managers in retail and corporate filed complaints against me, and that other leaders, and the people team were actively discouraging people from participating in the survey and/or discussing their pay.”

– Cher Scarlett, Apple employee

The results of that survey so far show a small disparity in pay between men and non-men, as well as whites and non-white employees. It, more alarmingly, shows that there are more opportunities for advancement for white men. Scarlett admits the survey doesn’t examine enough Apple employees, but hopes it can open Apple up to more.

Ashley Gjøvik

Gjøvik’s story is a lengthy one. The gist of it is that she has made multiple complaints about sexism, her safety, the safety of her team members, and even frequently drunk employees that nearly got her killed. Yes, really. An incident where a superior allegedly forced her to eat something that contained peanuts, then didn’t get her help, is among her complaints. As well as a complaint for feedback she received telling her to talk in a more masculine fashion to be taken more seriously, or to be wary of physical or surveillance-based retaliation. As it is, she had proof of retaliation from a number of sources, from people joking about making her quit to a white board tallying up scores for people working to make her quit.

Gjøvik is currently on administrative leave. Gjøvik’s story isn’t the only one like it at Apple, and employees still fear retaliation for coming forward.

What’s the old saying? If the punishment for a crime is a fine, then the law isn’t applicable to rich people? Apple is one of the richest companies in the world. What’s the state of California going to do to Apple for breaking any laws?

Goals?

Currently, Apple employees, past and present, are gathering to share their experiences, share data, and try to make Apple a safer, more equatable place to work. The group has collected support from other companies and other whistleblowers, who have seen the toxicity in the tech industry first-hand, and want to change it for the better. #AppleToo hasn’t given a list of demands yet. However, with the survey for employee demographics and salaries ongoing, along with the AppleToo website, which will collect and potentially share these stories, it seems like they’re just getting started.

How long before Apple’s cone of silence shatters completely?

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