At Apple confidentiality is taken very seriously. With leading the industry in tech advances and new devices, Apple wants to keep every detail a secret as long as possible. These former employees (some current) are taking a huge risk by telling the world about some of Apple’s best-kept company secrets.
“Apple is such a golden opportunity for interns that it can be extremely choosy about who gets to play in their circular sandbox. They look for interns with amazing talent, and in their view, if you failed to show evidence of talent the first time around, a little experience somewhere else isn’t going to change anything,” according to Frank Lazar a Mac Consultant.
“In recent weeks I contracted a nasty incapacitating mosquito born virus and was hospitalized for a short time. However, rather than receiving support, I was emailed a presentation to my hospital bed with a note that it needed to be completed ‘urgently’. Even on the very morning of my wedding, I was still being harassed by phone and email to send a report someone had lost.” – Ben Farrell
“I had a friend who worked there who absolutely loved the products and would go into his overdraft, go into debt, to buy the latest Apple product. It is crazy. One of the managers had to leave because his landlord wouldn’t renew his lease. He had to leave the store because he couldn’t afford to even move into a new studio flat on an Apple Manager salary. I think he went back to live with his parents. He was in his late 30s. Maybe 40.” – Anonymous
“From a design perspective, having every junior- level designer getting direct executive-level feedback is killer,” says Andrew Borovsky, a former Apple designer who now runs 80/20, a New York design shop. “On a regular basis you either get positive feedback or are told to stop doing stupid s–t.” – Andrew Borovsky, a former Apple designer
“Internally, most devices are running test builds of all the software on them, often updating every couple of weeks with the very latest code from the engineering teams. So Apple employees don’t just use Macs—they use really buggy Macs, often with really buggy apps. People on the iOS teams often use really buggy iPhones, iPads, and Apple Watches, too. This ensures that the company catches a lot of bugs before anyone on the outside ever sees the software.” – Brent Royal-Gordon, code writer.
“I have had death threats before. I had someone, I can’t even remember why — it may have been an out-of-warranty fix — who told me that because we wouldn’t repair it for free that they would wait outside until I finished work to run me down with their car.”
“Sunday is a work night for everybody at Apple because it’s the exec meeting the next day. So you had your phone out there, you were sitting in front of your computer, it didn’t matter if your favorite show was on.” – Don Melton
Business Insider obtained leaked memos from retail chief Angela Ahrendts, saying they make changes to its internal communications in an attempt to figure out where leaks come from. Memos would be worded differently for different sections of the company.
When interns are hired they receive a gift box containing this message.
Tim Su wrote:
“Having been at Apple, and also at a large defense contractor, where I would routinely walk by areas that said “Top Secret Clearance Required”, I can say that Apple simply put more effort into making secrecy part of the culture. A few things I noticed at Apple:
– code names for every product – no one referred to products any other way
– team members who are also on “special” teams don’t tell their coworkers what they do
– black curtains and frosted windows
– trash bins were monitored”
“There are a lot more fit and good looking people at Apple, than otherwise. It’s actually pretty ridiculous. Almost everyone is really athletic: many people do triathlons, bike races, and marathon. It’s a tough place to be if you’re more than 20 pounds overweight, but then again, it can also be that extra push you need to get in shape. I know of people who’ve lost 60 pounds and are no longer pre-diabetic because they started going cycling with their coworkers over lunch.” – Anonymous
“The measures that Apple takes to protect its creative and intellectual environment are unparalleled in the valley, and it’s been a disappointing experience since leaving there. Apple’s security policy extends to blogs, to speaking engagements, to what we talk about with our spouses. Most people get it and respect it. The ones who don’t — the ones who need to put Apple under their name so they can get a speaking gig at SXSW — are kindly ushered to move on.”
“If I was still at Apple, I would not be responding to this question, nor would I feel wronged for not being able to.” – Justin Maxwell
“No work from home. The company culture wants everyone face to face every day and they are very up-front and clear about it. You are in the office every day unless you are sick or dead. Nobody watches what time you are in every day but telecommute is something they very vocally say is not and will not be part of the culture.”
“You don’t work at Apple unless you are seriously motivated to work there. The ones who are there for a check, or stock, are the ones who burn out first and fastest.” – Steve Fenwick, hardware engineer
“Apple comes first. Not to say you can’t have some personal life or even a pretty normal one, but when stuff gets crazy, work comes first ahead of all else. I’ve been in meetings at 4pm where a dozen people decide we are going to all work all night that night in the office on a problem. No discussion about ‘hey, I have to pick up my kids’ or ‘let me call home first’ – everyone nods and agrees, no hesitation.” – Anonymous
“There will be a lot of clapping. As a new hire you’ll get ‘clapped in.’ At the end of every shift meeting there’s clapping. When someone quits, on their last day they get ‘clapped out’. Sometimes just for kicks to make a little kid feel good you’ll clap. ….there’s just a lot of clapping.” – Renee Morales, former Apple Store Specialist
“Almost everything will be at least slightly different from your previous job. If you’re an engineer, there are custom internal tools, unusual practices, and odd office culture norms — even more so than is typical at other companies. Questions should be asked as often as possible during your first month; don’t be afraid to ask.”
“Furthermore, since secrecy is so important at Apple, different teams’ cultures had a chance to become incredibly different from each other. When working in cross-functional projects, take the time to learn about the other teams’ preferred communication styles and other peculiarities. This will save you a lot of time.” – Wei Sun, Data Science / Software Engineering
Luis Abreu, a UX designer, went through an intense interview process to not get the job.
“3 screening calls, 5 FaceTime interviews, a trip to Cupertino for 5 two-person interviews lasting a whole day and a lunch at the newest Café Macs. In the end, I got a shallow no.”
During one interview he was told, “We don’t waste time with the dumb.”
Anonymous: “It’s an older demographic working there, not the 24-year old MBAs, most seem to be late 30’s to 40’s, super smart but with real life experience, too. There aren’t any Nerf guns or any of that crap, just people past all that and at the top of their game. It’s not the place for children.”
“I remember when bleary-eyed guys in the developer group had to show up for meetings at 4:00am to allow for time-zone differences around the world. They had to do it every day, and I’m sure it disrupted their personal lives.” – David Graham, former writer at Apple
“… Paranoid management, disrespect, constant tension, and long hours sum up most of the real culture in operations … Most of the people in SDM (supply demand management) see it as something they need to suck up for a few painful years after b-school so they can move on to a better gig with the Apple brand on their resume. Like the investment banking of tech.
… Work here at your own risk. On the upside, cafe food is pretty good and dress is casual.”
“The brand is guarded with a zeal that borders on zealous obsession. For instance – I heard (unconfirmed) that all the maple surfaces in all the retail stores are harvested at one particular time of the year in Canada so they all look the same.” – Richard Francis
[h/t: Insider]
