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Apple is a big company with a great reputation, but there are bad apples in every bunch. My biggest takeaway from this article is that the author should take t

Apple is a big company with a great reputation, but there are bad apples in every bunch. My biggest takeaway from this article is that the author should take this advice: Before you accept a position, find out what project you will be working on, and get to know the people who you will be working with. If you are being hired to replace someone who left, try to find out why they left (or were fired). I have not done much moving around in my (long) career, but I have many friends who have. There are plenty of jobs out there, but many of them are tainted by toxic people or cultures. During your interview process, find out what you can. If you come away with any concerns, trust your feelings. If uncertain, raise your concerns and seek more information before you accept an offer. You will either come away with more concerns, or you will find out that your concerns were unfounded. Any big company hiring a new PhD grad should do their best to make the new employee feel welcome as part of the team. It seems that there were plenty of warning signs in this case, but as this was the author's first work experience, she either missed them or did not recognize their significance. It's a shame that the visa process and ITAR rules compounded the problems described. I'm a bit confused about the end of this article where she writes; "If Apple refuse to take actions, I will interview with major media outlets describing the experience in more details and I will release a list of all individuals involved from senior management to the HR director and all the evidence as public record." She no longer works for Apple, and probably doesn't want to ever work there again, so why the threat, and why the ultimatum? Why not just go public with all of the names and documentation? They already did their best to damage her reputation and career. Why should she hold back?

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throwaway44295 6y ago
> She no longer works for Apple, and probably doesn't want to ever work there again, so why the threat, and why the ultimatum? I'd definitely check with a lawyer on this. I think one could get into serious legal trouble when publishing names
- anonymousiam 6y ago
  I agree, but I am assuming she has sufficient proof of her allegations to stand up to any case of defamation, liable, or slander. "Truth is an absolute defense to libel claims, because one of the elements that must be proven in a defamation suit is falsity of the statement."
saagarjha 6y ago
This can be hard to do, especially at a place like Apple where you’ll often just get a basic idea of what you’ll be working on. And how are you supposed to judge your coworkers by the hour or so you spent with them in an interview?
- anonymousiam 6y ago
  For a PhD level position, she should have had a good idea of what she would be working on. The fact that her manager skipped her on-boarding meeting should have been a BIG red flag right at the beginning. I cannot imagine a corporate culture where that would be acceptable or even permitted.
  - trixie_ 6y ago
    None of that is a big deal or red flag. At a large intense company things come up, meetings get missed. New people will float around for awhile until there’s time to fit them in. It’s very much sink or swim and a test of how adaptable/self sufficient you are. People at those kinds of companies don’t have time for hand holding - it’s just how it is. If you can get hired by Apple there of plenty of less intense companies you’ll be able to work for.
    - anonymousiam 6y ago
      Having worked for a Fortune 50 company, I can say that management at all levels considered on-boarding to be of critical importance, and would preempt other normal business. It was very important to make sure the new hire had a place to sit, a phone, and a computer as soon as they arrived. Meeting your new manager (as scheduled) is extremely important to a new hire. If the manager doesn't show, it makes a bad first impression on the new employee. All of that being said, I will now relate that I NEVER attended the new hire orientation meeting at that company. I was on business travel and I never rescheduled it. It did not seem to matter much for me though as I stayed there for most of my career (35 years).

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throwaway44295 6y ago

> She no longer works for Apple, and probably doesn't want to ever work there again, so why the threat, and why the ultimatum? I'd definitely check with a lawyer on this. I think one could get into serious legal trouble when publishing names

anonymousiam 6y ago
I agree, but I am assuming she has sufficient proof of her allegations to stand up to any case of defamation, liable, or slander. "Truth is an absolute defense to libel claims, because one of the elements that must be proven in a defamation suit is falsity of the statement."

saagarjha 6y ago

This can be hard to do, especially at a place like Apple where you’ll often just get a basic idea of what you’ll be working on. And how are you supposed to judge your coworkers by the hour or so you spent with them in an interview?

anonymousiam 6y ago
For a PhD level position, she should have had a good idea of what she would be working on. The fact that her manager skipped her on-boarding meeting should have been a BIG red flag right at the beginning. I cannot imagine a corporate culture where that would be acceptable or even permitted.
- trixie_ 6y ago
  None of that is a big deal or red flag. At a large intense company things come up, meetings get missed. New people will float around for awhile until there’s time to fit them in. It’s very much sink or swim and a test of how adaptable/self sufficient you are. People at those kinds of companies don’t have time for hand holding - it’s just how it is. If you can get hired by Apple there of plenty of less intense companies you’ll be able to work for.
  - anonymousiam 6y ago
    Having worked for a Fortune 50 company, I can say that management at all levels considered on-boarding to be of critical importance, and would preempt other normal business. It was very important to make sure the new hire had a place to sit, a phone, and a computer as soon as they arrived. Meeting your new manager (as scheduled) is extremely important to a new hire. If the manager doesn't show, it makes a bad first impression on the new employee. All of that being said, I will now relate that I NEVER attended the new hire orientation meeting at that company. I was on business travel and I never rescheduled it. It did not seem to matter much for me though as I stayed there for most of my career (35 years).