Apple Responds to Accusations of Executive Creating 'Toxic Workplace'

[jz0309]

The state of California is quite strict when it comes to harassment, employees have to take a training every 2 years, 1hr for non-supervisory and 2 hrs for supervisory. In those training it is very clearly laid out how to escalate harassment occurrences, including escalating to state authorities.
The article is paywalled, don't know if there is any mention of whether or not the cited employees did follow this escalations or not. If I assume they did, the state authorities would contact Apple and do an investigation.
Harassment is illegal in California and at this point all Apple can say they are conducting an investigation. Every other company would do the same.
Harassment is unfortunately a reality, and no employer will ever "admit" that they haven't done anything about it and almost all cases are "settled" in one form or another, and despite repeated training, it continues.
And I can almost guarantee that there are harassment investigations going on at pretty much every employer with more that 10k or so employees. This is not an excuse for this type of behavior but yhr unfortunate reality we live in.

 

[Macalway]

Who cares? Yikes, this is a gadget company not a soap opera.

 

[germanbeer007]

All companies have issues. You need to stop thinking too much

agreed.
people need to realize how running a large company works.

 

[DownUnderDan]

They are denying it? Ten people have corroborated, Apple settled a sexual harassment suit with this creep, and the employees are the ones lying?

Really? 😑

Thin edge of the wedge. If they admit he is doing the wrong thing, then the next exec might get lined up. Better to take the next employee to court. Does smack of a broken corporate culture though.

 

[sirdir]

Apple abusive? They treat their developers like beggars and even their customers, sooo...

 

[dwaltwhit]

I’m not a lawyer, but California is an at-will state—meaning an employer can fire you for any reason at any time, with or without cause.

Unless that employee can show they were wrongfully terminated based on unsubstantiated claims. Once again, do I think he's innocent? No. But it matters what can be proven.

 

[IJustWannaTalk]

Just wondering what you must know that's not in the article. Can you share?

Did you not even read the summary?

"His behavior contributed to decisions by more than 10 workers to seek extended mental health or medical leaves of absence since 2022," the report said. One former employee on the team said she "never worked anywhere more toxic."

Apple spokesperson Lance Lin told The New York Times that the report contains "many inaccurate claims and mischaracterizations."

 

[IJustWannaTalk]

From a legal standpoint, Apple is required to continue to employ him until there is proof of wrongdoing. Do I think there is? Probably. But a company can't just not perform due diligence.

That's not true at all. They can fire him any time they want.

 

[dwaltwhit]

What nonsense… In America, Apple can fire anyone they want at any time. At worst, they’d have to pay out a golden parachute if he has a good employment contract.

Apple had no issues firing union organizers (which is actually illegal).

Golden parachute or not, they would still be opening themselves up to a wrongful termination suit if they fire him without substantive proof of wrongdoing.

 

[IJustWannaTalk]

I know nothing about the guy and have no idea what he is like personally or as a leader, but I would say that in my experience many young people today have been so sensitized by our victim culture that they are under constant suspicion that they are being mistreated by those in the workplace. I can't tell you how many times in the last year that I have had to listen to complaints about how 'unfair' things are and how people are abusive simply because they disagree or because some comment was misunderstood. Abusive people clearly should be dealt with, but there are plenty who just need to suck it up a bit and realize that the world ain't a perfect place.

This is how abusive patterns stay entrenched. Rationalizations just like this.

 

[IJustWannaTalk]

Golden parachute or not, they would still be opening themselves up to a wrongful termination suit if they fire him without substantive proof of wrongdoing.

You mean, aside from the settle sexual harassment suit and the ten people who have quit?

 

[Macbookey]

Another day in 2025 with an  headline that has nothing to so with jaw dropping products or services. Tim has truly reached the summit of his leadership style. Liquid glass is so poetic in that you can see through the BS and hypocrisy.

Tim should have kept one for himself as well for his groundbreaking work in a “mature platform” also. And look, it’s Liquid Glass infused and all! He can put it beside his picture of Bobby Kennedy in his  Park office.

 

[JosephAW]

If you work for Apple just pretend that Steve Jobs is alive and you just got a review from him

 

[vantelimus]

10 people didnt like their boss? This is news? Who cares?

Apple should care if there is a pattern. Individual situations are actionable. Unfortunately, when it comes to companies the size of Apple, there are so many layers of organization, process, and bureaucracy that a bad apple can survive for a long time, especially the higher they are in management and the more fixed they become in the local social topology.

People on this forum shouldn't really care because there is no institutional pattern that deviates from what one would expect from a human organization the size of Apple. Hand wringing over purity ignores the reality of social dynamics.

 

[dwaltwhit]

You mean, aside from the settle sexual harassment suit and the ten people who have quit?

Settling a case is not admission of wrongdoing. People quitting because they don't like you is not proof of wrongdoing. Do I think he should be fired? Most likely. But Apple isn't going to expose themselves to the possibility of a wrongful termination suit.

 

[thiscatisfat]

Well, nothing except the brand, the majority of product ranges, the reputation, the logo ... ( I could go on. )

It is disingenuous to say Job is not relevant in relation to Apple - the Jobs myth has been built up where Steve Jobs and Apple are impossible to separate.

If you disagree, run a search on the form for the term "Jobs", see how many results come up, and also, how recently.

You might as well say Ford no longer has any connection to Henry Ford, or Microsoft has no connection to Bill Gates.

It will take a hell of a lot longer than 14 years for those associative links to break.

Every Apple era with Jobs present was an era of “the” Apple. Everytime he was out, Apple lost it’s charm. At least for me. Today’s Apple is a bunch of finance bros in funny vests.

 

[Mrkevinfinnerty]

Blahnik got a weird case why is he around?

 

[Dr McKay]

All companies have issues. You need to stop thinking too much

Judging by your comments, you take your own advice far too literally.

 

[maxoakland]

Those 10 employees can now have a good life elsewhere. There aren’t a lack of employees looking to work at Apple

If this kind of behavior continues to be enabled, that won't last long. People want to work at Apple because they think it's going to be a good place to work

 

[thiscatisfat]

Employees have changed, too, and not for the better.

What? What are you…what??? Why are you saying this? 😄 Because employees realized they won’t just be corpo slaves and that the company is nothing without them? That they just had enough of bullies, micromanagement, low pay, high work demand, bad or no work/life balance? Just like nobody is going to fight old man’s war to “fight for their country” anymore nowadays, nobody will be loyal to a greedy abusive corporate. Workers woke up, that’s a good thing! Have you ever worked for Apple? Do you know what it’s like to speak up when you work for Apple? I remember how a certain lady called Apple out for pay inequality (it went viral, look it up), is she the “not for the better” employee? I remember how Apple went bezerk to shut her and her followers down internally. If you were in the same groupchat as her, you were a freaking suspect. They would schedule meetings with you and question your integrity. If Apple was a country, it would be North Korea style. Are you seriously saying these employees should just suck it up and not complain? Because this is frankly such a weird thing to say in this context, no offense.

 

[turbineseaplane]

Every Apple era with Jobs present was an era of “the” Apple. Everytime he was out, Apple lost it’s charm. At least for me. Today’s Apple is a bunch of finance bros in funny vests.

Agree on product and vibe ...

I never cared for his tyrannical behavior though. Never.

We all have flaws and that was a big one for Steve.

 

[IJustWannaTalk]

Settling a case is not admission of wrongdoing. People quitting because they don't like you is not proof of wrongdoing. Do I think he should be fired? Most likely. But Apple isn't going to expose themselves to the possibility of a wrongful termination suit.

Man, I'm glad I don't come onto forums and say stuff like this.

 

[maxoakland]

From a legal standpoint, Apple is required to continue to employ him until there is proof of wrongdoing. Do I think there is? Probably. But a company can't just not perform due diligence.

Interesting because they didn't apply that logic to the employees they fired for unionizing or the ones they fired for criticizing Israeľ

What makes these situations different?

 

[IJustWannaTalk]

Employees have changed, too, and not for the better.

How have employees changed?

 

[thiscatisfat]

Agree on product and vibe ...

I never cared for his tyrannical behavior though. Never.

We all have flaws and that was a big one for Steve.

Like, sometimes you really have to be the shepherd. Especially if the future of your company is at stake. I’m sure he was plenty nice to many people too.

That said, even comparing this insecure weirdo with Jobs is out of place 😄