Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Apple VP Behind Activity Rings Retiring After Misconduct Claims

iMac The Knife said:
Creating a toxic work environment and sexually harassing an employee...this guy? Never! 🤣

View attachment 2619164
Click to expand...


IMG_6251.jpeg
 
  • Haha
  • Like
  • Wow
Reactions: iAssimilated, michaelnugent, Pezimak and 5 others
CharlesShaw said:
It's crazy, right? If I look at the history, the only days I close the stand ring are on lazy weekends when I'm not working at the standing desk, but instead watching TV and standing up for snacks and restroom breaks.
Click to expand...
Your watch can only work with the data you provide it. If you spend the entire hour with your arms level to the floor/your desk, even if you're standing, it has no idea (and no ability to get an idea) whether you're standing or sitting. It depends on your forearm being ~vertical, and it also helps to walk around some.

"Stand" is, imo, not the best name for the Stand ring. It's less about simply standing up and more about combating a sedentary lifestyle, and it always has been. You'll notice the hourly reminder says, "Stand up and move a little for one minute".
 
jonblatho said:
Your watch can only work with the data you provide it. If you spend the entire hour with your arms level to the floor/your desk, even if you're standing, it has no idea (and no ability to get an idea) whether you're standing or sitting. It depends on your forearm being ~vertical, and it also helps to walk around some.

"Stand" is, imo, not the best name for the Stand ring. It's less about simply standing up and more about combating a sedentary lifestyle, and it always has been. You'll notice the hourly reminder says, "Stand up and move a little for one minute".
Click to expand...
The "Stand" ring should really be the "Move" ring (since you need to stand and move around for a minute or so), and the current Move ring should be the "Energy" ring or something.
 
  • Like
Reactions: neuropsychguy, Leon Nash and jonblatho
Apple is clearly not the most proactive when it comes to supporting employees or addressing concerns about toxic managers. I had two wonderful years at Apple, but when a new manager took over our team, things quickly deteriorated. Within six months, a colleague was already on sick leave, and I eventually had to resign.
 
  • Sad
  • Wow
  • Like
Reactions: boswald, bluecoast, MrRom92 and 1 other person
I tried fitness + for a week and it is the ********* thing of software I’ve ever tried. Nike made a good fitness app and also made a good running app. Both are also ****** now but at least the remains of nike fitness is useable. The running app is now complete crap. There was a time when you could create a fitness programm or a running programm that included fitness app and running app. Both combined helped me to train for sub 4min/km with the right exercises and off days. And it all changed with apples fitness app.
This guy should not retire. He should be fired for incompetence. Then let him handle the sexual harassment lawsuits. Then again fire him a second time.
 
  • Disagree
Reactions: dmo7
jonblatho said:
it has no idea (and no ability to get an idea) whether you're standing or sitting
Click to expand...
Agreed, which is why it's so annoying that the "iconic Activity rings" are so front and center and require the standing ring for success, and the app and Health app still show me the disappointing results when I'm looking at something else, which discourages me from opening the app or using the complications etc. Years of this annoying ring makes me happy this leader is gone.
 
A shock to nobody. Apple was always known for having a toxic corporate environment. Anybody who thinks it isn’t like that at one of the world’s most valuable companies is deluding themselves. Water is wet, more news at 10.
 
  • Like
Reactions: bigandtasty
maxfromdenmark said:
So this is the shortcut to retirement? It sounds like a reward not expelling.
Click to expand...
These situations, from the company’s point of view, are never about “punishment” or “reward”, it’s simply about making problems go away as quick and quietly as possible.

Firing him or “making an example of him”, even if he very much deserved it, would be more newsworthy and so less quick and quiet.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Apple_Robert
Happy_John said:
Just reduce the “stand” ring target so that it is irrelevant.
Click to expand...
Thanks. It hadn't occurred to me to look for that, since you can only see that setting by "changing" the first two, so maybe the minimum 6 hrs will work better. However, this article has further poisoned my opinion of the Activity rings.

EDIT: Four hours of being awake and working, but all standing, so 0 stands so far.
 
Last edited:
Elwe said:
“bullying” in the workplace is not a defined crime (by federal or any US state title or code that I’m aware of).
Click to expand...

Maybe not. I'm not a lawyer but I do have #LAW programmed into my phone 😉. Not really, I just thought it was funny.

But in quite a few large workplaces it's a code of conduct and a policy violation. It is where I work. We had to take several trainings on it when it was implemented. And they take it seriously.

It's typically the bosses that engage in it, and it's fairly common. It's unacceptable behavior in any setting.

We don't permit our children to engage in it in an educational or sports setting, what makes people think it's OK in the workplace? I've seen co workers subject to bullying by supervisors and managers. I've seen the difference in behavior before and after non bullying policies were implemented and it does make a difference in how people are treated. Sometimes all you have to do is mention you won't be bullied and the boss understands exactly what that means and it shifts the tone of the conversation.

Feel free to tell me what to do, how to do it, and when to do it when I'm on company time. I get it. I'm an employee and you're my employer. If it's not illegal or immoral then that's what I signed up for. If I don't like it I can quit.

But no one has the right to belittle or insult people as part of the supervisory process.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pezimak
MacRumors said:
When employees raised concerns about Blahnik's conduct, Apple initiated an internal investigation and found no evidence of wrongdoing, so Blahnik remained in his role. At the time, Apple spokesperson Lance Lin called the NYT report full of "many inaccurate claims and mischaracterizations," but didn't specify which claims the company disputed.
Click to expand...

For those who don’t know:
Every company must first and foremost protect itself. That’s why these “investigations” always come up empty-handed. Or conclude that no wrongdoing occurred.

Because, suppose Apple did find some. What would that mean?
Exactly.
The company could be accused of failing to exercise due diligence, inadequate controls, or perhaps flawed policies.
Which would ultimately result in a class-action lawsuit and millions of dollars in compensation.

So no company can afford to indirectly admit that they made a mistake. Especially not in the U.S.
 
  • Sad
Reactions: bluecoast
The phrasing of that announcement somehow makes it sound creepier. “An exciting move to NYC” aka moving across the country to get away from everyone who knows him personally.
 
Elwe said:
“
Apple initiated an internal investigation and found no evidence of wrongdoing
“
Click to expand...

And yet he is being taken to court for bullying. And Apple already settled one case, why would Apple settle a case with a payout presumably if he was innocent?
 
con2apple said:
For those who don’t know:
Every company must first and foremost protect itself. That’s why these “investigations” always come up empty-handed. Or conclude that no wrongdoing occurred.

Because, suppose Apple did find some. What would that mean?
Exactly.
The company could be accused of failing to exercise due diligence, inadequate controls, or perhaps flawed policies.
Which would ultimately result in a class-action lawsuit and millions of dollars in compensation.

So no company can afford to indirectly admit that they made a mistake. Especially not in the U.S.
Click to expand...

Wrong, because in countries like the UK you are protected by law from workplace bullying and there have been several cases won in court as a result.
 
So in ten years we had the activity rings - which haven’t changed since 2016.

Then fitness+ - which hasn’t really changed since 2021.

What was he doing the rest of the time? Don’t answer …

Nice work if you can get it!
 
macaron35 said:
Apple is clearly not the most proactive when it comes to supporting employees or addressing concerns about toxic managers. I had two wonderful years at Apple, but when a new manager took over our team, things quickly deteriorated. Within six months, a colleague was already on sick leave, and I eventually had to resign.
Click to expand...
The head of people at any company is sadly not there to support the people/employers but the management.
 
Wasn’t Steve Jobs a known bully? Or the very least hard work… I don’t think he would of survived this new fluffy world
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back