Apple Employees Launch AppleToo Site, Here's Why

Apple employees demand justice for what they experienced in the office. (photo: zhang kaiyv / unsplash)

JAKARTA - Apple's employee organization took another step by launching a website called AppleToo, Monday, August 23. The aim is to collect stories from workers at all levels of the organization who have experienced harassment or discrimination.

"For far too long, Apple has avoided public scrutiny," the website reads. “The truth is that for many Apple workers ... the culture of secrecy creates an opaque and frightening fortress. When we press for accountability and redress for the persistent injustices we witness or experience in our workplaces, we are faced with patterns of isolation, degradation, and gaslighting. No longer. We have exhausted all internal avenues. We have spoken with our leaders. We have gone to the People team. We have improved through Business Conduct. Nothing has changed. It's Time to Think Differently."

Only about 15 current and former Apple employees are directly involved in the organizing effort. This morning, the organizers launched a website and Twitter account and sent the news to 200-person Discord servers for Apple employees and contractors.

The effort has received support from organizers such as Timnit Gebru, who worked at Apple before joining Google in 2018. After Gebru was abruptly fired from Google in December 2020, he publicly disclosed his experiences with racism and discrimination at the company. But he hasn't spoken publicly about his time at Apple.

“I went through so many horrible things when I was at Apple, and always wondered how they got out of the spotlight. I love seeing Apple workers organised. It's time for Apple to be held accountable," Gebru said as quoted by The Verge.

Cher Scarlett, an Apple engineer and activist involved in the organizing effort, posted the website on two of Slack's internal channels — #allies4change and #women-in-swe — this morning.

Since its launch, eight Apple employees have shared their stories via the AppleToo website.