Apparently. Who are all these stuff shirts out there? They seem pretty miserable. The guy was obviously messing around and having a laugh.
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Apple Procurement VP Departs Company After Vulgar TikTok Comment
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No, the person who is ignorant and reckless here is Mark Gruman of Bloomberg who wrote the article and put his own spin and out of context wording from a tiktok video that was clearly done in jest/a joke with all those involved in fits of laughter but along comes Mr Gruman who injects his own opinions of the video by calling it 'crude' and that the VP fondles 'big breasted women' for a living. No, the person 100% at fault here is Mark Gruman with his own opinionated article in getting a man fired from his job.
Is this an outline for an essay? It's simple. He acted like an arrogant jackwagon and risked making the company he worked for (known for being very conscious of its image) look bad. It doesn't require this much analysis. 😆
I can easily imagine an environment around him where this sort of behavior is his “norm”. If he was fired, this was almost certainly the result of a pattern and not an isolated incident.
Tony Blevins, Apple's vice president of procurement, is set to depart the company after he made a crude comment about his profession in a recent TikTok video, reports Bloomberg.
Blevins was in a video by TikTok creator Daniel Mac, who was doing a series on the jobs of people he spotted with expensive cars. After seeing Blevins in an expensive Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, Mac asked Blevins what he does for a living, and Blevins had a lewd response. From Bloomberg:Blevins is in fact a high-ranking executive at Apple, and as Apple's vice president of procurement, his job was to work with suppliers and Apple partners. He was part of the team that inked a deal with Globalstar for Apple's iPhone 14 satellite functionality, and he has a reputation for aggressively negotiating with Apple suppliers to bring down Apple's costs.
In a 2020 profile, The Wall Street Journal said that Blevins had earned the nickname "the Blevinator" within Apple because of his tough stance on negotiations. Blevins was said to be the one encouraging Apple suppliers to deprive Qualcomm of royalty payments during the Qualcomm v. Apple dispute, and he was personally tapped by Apple CEO Tim Cook to manage negotiations for the Apple Park campus.
Apple held an internal investigation after learning about the TikTok video, and afterward, he was removed from his team of a dozen direct reports and several hundred employees. Blevins told Bloomberg that he was sorry for what he said. "I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to anyone who was offended by my mistaken attempt at humor," he said.
An Apple spokesperson also confirmed that Blevins will be leaving the company, a decision that came down to Apple's senior vice president of operations, Jeff Williams. Williams will be overseeing Blevins' team following his departure.
Article Link: Apple Procurement VP Departs Company After Vulgar TikTok Comment
Any offensive comments in Apple movies / TV?
I remember of hearing about the Blevinator on Rumors years back as he's been with them a long time - negotiating so strong with suppliers was where Mr. Cook came from if memory serves and is one of the qualities highly valued.
He needed to change the women aspect of the movie line to say "dating beautiful women" and it would have been fine...but moral outrage is something social media (and alot of TV) exists to profit from and stoke (both sides of the political spectrum). This was probably one of this TikTok'ers best video's on number of views because of the "outrage" it generated and then shared, profits for the young kid doing the video and TikTok - end of the Blevinator's career at Apple after being there a long time.
Do have to wonder if he knew it was social media at all (based on what the kid said during the video) and not some young lad taking video of really expensive cars at the show and laughing at his movie line improvisation.
He needed to change the women aspect of the movie line to say "dating beautiful women" and it would have been fine...but moral outrage is something social media (and alot of TV) exists to profit from and stoke (both sides of the political spectrum). This was probably one of this TikTok'ers best video's on number of views because of the "outrage" it generated and then shared, profits for the young kid doing the video and TikTok - end of the Blevinator's career at Apple after being there a long time.
There is a line between fiction and reality. What is so hard to understand about that?
And there should also be a line between a silly, even bad joke, and a joke that merits you to be canceled...
The very fact that these days it only takes ONE bad JOKE, just ONE, to label you a misogynist/sexist/racist is, on its own, pure prejudice. Not to mention absolutely unfair and cruel. It is also hypocritical, coming from the people who are , supposedly, all about understanding, kindness, acceptance...
I’ve never understood the bro-phenomenon of “if I say it as a joke or am quoting a movie, it’s very funny and I can say whatever I want with impunity”.
It’s almost as if they lack the creativity to actually be funny themselves so they just others’ canned lines as a dog whistle for how they really feel and can instantly hide behind the “you’re too sensitive and have no sense of humor” when anyone with half a brain sees right through it.
Good for him, if he can’t figure out that when you’re at the executive level at a company like this there is no such thing as being in public and not beinga face of the company, he needs to leave. It’s partially why these positions are compensated like they are: you have no life. Your life is work. The issue is that some people forget to say “enough is enough” and take their winnings and to go have their life and be out of the spotlight and then can’t handle it when they try to mix the two.
Seems like this incident forced that here.
He will be fine and enjoy the rest of his years.
It’s almost as if they lack the creativity to actually be funny themselves so they just others’ canned lines as a dog whistle for how they really feel and can instantly hide behind the “you’re too sensitive and have no sense of humor” when anyone with half a brain sees right through it.
Good for him, if he can’t figure out that when you’re at the executive level at a company like this there is no such thing as being in public and not beinga face of the company, he needs to leave. It’s partially why these positions are compensated like they are: you have no life. Your life is work. The issue is that some people forget to say “enough is enough” and take their winnings and to go have their life and be out of the spotlight and then can’t handle it when they try to mix the two.
Seems like this incident forced that here.
He will be fine and enjoy the rest of his years.
The issue of cancel culture is BAD. It is insane.
The issue of bros hiding/excusing their true hateful feelings behind “one bad joke” is also bad. It is also insane.
The rest of the reasonable world are the people in the middle shaking their heads at both extremes.
So in your opinion that joke of his is proof of his inner and true hateful feelings? That is all we need as proof of that? And you dont see a problem with this?
Edit: I missed the last part of your post, so my above comment doesnt have a place here. I agree with you. With the only difference that one joke cant prove anything about anyone.
At the end of the day, it is all about a journalist/reporter looking for a problem where there was no problem so they could create a problem. Mark Gruman of Bloomberg did just that.
1. Numbered lists is a common organization tool. See the icon set on your reply box after the color palette?
2. Being an arrogant jackass is not grounds for termination. Have you paid attention to business news lately?
3. Sorry if 4 points constitutes too "much" for you.
The idea that the head of procurement being the face of any company is a funnier than the joke in dispute...
If there are offensive comments in Apple's programing then they are adding to the culture that promotes that behavior. Whats so hard to understand about that? Also, I believe he was quoting from fiction.
"he has a reputation for aggressively negotiating with Apple suppliers to bring down Apple's costs."
Well, here comes the $2500 iPhone 15.
Well, here comes the $2500 iPhone 15.
Based on a single, flippant remark made off-hours at a car show? That is absolutely ridiculous. You think you can sum up a man's entire being from a 20-25 second snapshot?
I wonder how you would be judged if we had a transcript of your every spoken word. Same for the rest of you that think he "got what he deserved".
edit: thanks for all the +1s @sorgo too bad using the laughing emoji is all you got.
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Yes, but WHAT are Apple's values? When you listen to or read the lyrics of numerous songs from artists which Apple promotes heavily in Apple Music, the values are those of whores, sluts, gang bangers and drug dealers. What this guy said is so far above the sewer of these tunes it is not even funny.
I disagree. While we will never know for sure,if I’m Apple, it is easier to get rid of baggage than keep around someone who draws negative attention.
Employers have very little loyalty to their employees lately. Say one thing wrong, even off hours (not him, he’s a VP, he is always representing Apple) and it is easier to say “this person is reprehensible and doesn’t reflect our values, they no longer work here.”
In 25 years (hopefully) people will look back at this period of time and say that we were over sensitive and acting like a bunch of 8 year olds.”
"In 2024, Apple Computer will introduce iPhone 16 . And you'll see why 2024 will be like 1984."
I wonder if he had been drinking. Had he been dressed in drag he would have been shielded for a comment like that.
Apple News subscription promotes access to Allure, the "beauty magazine" alongside numerous other publications primarily written by and purchased by women that make very explicit connections between the appearance (and texture) of one's breasts and one's self confidence, success, etc. What exactly is controversial about what he said again?