Apple employee organizing took another step this morning with the launch of a website called AppleToo. The goal is to collect stories from workers at all levels of the organization who’ve experienced harassment or discrimination.
“For too long, Apple has evaded public scrutiny,” the website reads. “The truth is that for many Apple workers … the culture of secrecy creates an opaque, intimidating fortress. When we press for accountability and redress to the persistent injustices we witness or experience in our workplace, we are faced with a pattern of isolation, degradation, and gaslighting. No more. We’ve exhausted all internal avenues. We’ve talked with our leadership. We’ve gone to the People team. We’ve escalated through Business Conduct. Nothing has changed. It’s time to Think Different.”
Only about 15 current and former Apple employees were directly involved in the organizing effort. This morning, the organizers launched the website and Twitter account and sent the news out on a 200-person Discord server for Apple employees and contractors.
The effort has already gained support from organizers like Timnit Gebru, who worked at Apple prior to joining Google in 2018. After Gebru was abruptly fired from Google in December 2020, she went public about her experiences with racism and discrimination at the company. But she hasn’t spoken quite so publicly about her time at Apple. Now, she tells The Verge, “I experienced so many egregious things when I was at Apple, and always wondered how they manage to get out of the spotlight. I’m happy to see that Apple workers are organizing. It is past time for Apple to be held accountable.”
Cher Scarlett, an Apple engineer and activist who’s involved in the organizing effort, posted the website in two internal Slack channels — #allies4change and #women-in-swe — this morning.
Since launch, eight Apple employees have shared their stories through the AppleToo website.
