Former Apple Employee Sam Sung Changed His Name to Avoid Attention

[darngooddesign]

Crazy ..

Wonder if he knows anyone named Nin

Nin Tendo

Sure, that's guys father was Vic Trex.

 

[ralpa]

That is a good story to tell. Macrumor should do this more often when iPhone rumor is no longer a thing anymore

 

[techfirth]

It’s tough when you just want to go to work and do your job but people don’t let it happen. Imagine thinking “Right I’m gonna’ sell 20 iPhones today. Pumped for it!” and all that happens is a string of redditors show up to take selfies with you because of your name and don’t buy anything.

I’m guessing (assuming) Apple removed him from the shop floor at his request because he felt harassed, or because his management realised he was having a hard time with his new found ‘fame’.

 

[britboyj]

For all Apple’s faults I don’t think they’d fire him for having a name. I can totally understand why he’d not want to be identified as an over decade old internet joke. Also I used to frequent that Apple Store before moving out of Vancouver.

Yeah it genuinely sounds like they were trying to help him out and avoid unwanted attention.

 

[ignatius345]

I feel like if he just went by Samuel Sung, people wouldn't have made the connection so quickly and it may not have been so obnoxious for the poor guy.

 

[lovehateapple]

He should have just gotten a job at Samsung. Instant hire

 

[HiVolt]

He couldn’t go by Samuel or Sammy?

Yeah Samuel Sung would not even attract any attention.

 

[bmustaf]

I recognize that rarely to "feel good" stories make headlines as much as the negative ones, but the amount of "wow, what a terrible, toxic culture to work in unless you're a C-level exec" I hear about Apple (not just in the media but within my network directly from people who have worked there) continues to amaze me.

What is less surprising, of course, is seeing their issues now in retaining their best talent and how it's slowed their product delivery, quality, and innovation.

Years later, Siri still does not work....

 

[macduke]

"I was so scared, and I just wanted to keep my head down and stay employed," he said.

Unfortunately this is where most people are at when it comes to employment. I remember graduating around that time coming out of the Great Recession and it was tricky finding work.

You can even be the best employee scoring excellent reviews year after year and dedicate years of your life to improving their processes and save them millions of dollars, and at the end of the day they’ll still replace you with a random entry level guy in a foreign country augmented by AI. And when that blows up in their face they start firing everyone else and are now a shell of their former selves.

I’m not bitter…I work for myself now making 2.4x and get to laugh at their incompetency. Win-win. But times are getting tough again like it was back then, and this time the AI bubble is going to make the subprime mortgage bubble look like a blip.

 

[johannnn]

He said he "didn't want to be known for being an internet joke."

What did he think would happen..?

 

[JCrz]

If he decided to change his name, why did he change his last name? Seems like it would be just as effective but less radical to change his first name to anything that doesn't sound like "Sam". Changing a last name is more of a pain with documents, professional recognition, etc.

 

[seanmcbay]

Really lame he had to go through that. I hate unfunny Reddit dudes that put him through that.

 

[svish]

Interesting situation. Difficult for him. Surprised to hear about this only now.

 

[AF_APPLETALK]

Are people really that stupid? It's a name. It's the guys name. It's not that big of a deal.

 

[CATiNTHESTORE]

That is a good story to tell. Macrumor should do this more often when iPhone rumor is no longer a thing anymore

They have Bloomberg backs just in case news is not enough)

 

[ZiBart]

unfortunate that he felt he needed to change his name but wouldn't it be easier to change your first name or just start going by your middle name ? (If he had one). Well, i didnt even know this happened, now i do. Thanks MacRumors. Sorry, the specialist formerly known as Sam Sung.

 

[CATiNTHESTORE]

I would like to look at the HR department when hiring this employee)

- What's your name?
- Sam Sung
- No shiet dude! You are hired!!!

Next day: Tim Apple, look look at this, so now we have Sam Sung which is selling iPhones. But what if he would be the best seller of the year!? - Nah

 

[SnacksGU]

It wasn't about him being Asian, or having an Asian name, it was that he worked for Apple but his name was Apple's largest competitor.

If everything is racism then nothing is racism.

A post on MacRumors I can agree with! Thank you.

 

[CATiNTHESTORE]

And shame on the Apple Store management for not immediately kicking out anyone who made a joke about his name. Racism is fine in America now, apparently.

bro you literally racist , no one even thought about it, but you did. Now, ask your self dude. Peace!

 

[zachz]

And shame on the Apple Store management for not immediately kicking out anyone who made a joke about his name. Racism is fine in America now, apparently.

This is in Canada.

 

[lbmdk1]

Sounds like something from SNL

 

[btrach144]

I was kind of hoping that Apple had embraced it. That his boxed tshirt was signed by Tim Cook and they were proud to have him. But removing him from the store floor and sticking him in the back?

This reads like a sad story and I sense he has pain and trauma from this. What a bummer.

 

[freezelighter]

What the actual **** is happening with the world today?
Leave people be, for God’s sake — and don’t laugh at their names or push them to change their identity.

 

[d4cloo]

What a sad story and despicable behavior of a company that should have supported him instead. Disgusting.

 

[Tig_one]

Well surely this internet article will now help him have a regular life.