The current pandemic has forced Apple employees and others to work from home, and it’s a new challenge the company has to navigate. One aspect? It’s culture of secrecy (via Bloomberg).
Secrecy At Home
Locked doors, blacked-out windows, secure cabinets, preventing employees from talking about their projects are all ways that Apple enforces secrecy. According to anonymous employees, Apple is allowing them to take prototypes of future devices home.
Taking home a future product requires the green light from the vice president of an employee’s organization. That list of staff with future devices at their homes also is sometimes reviewed by Apple’s senior vice presidents, the management team run by Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook.
…Like with hardware, employees working on unreleased software, such as the upcoming iOS 14, require approval from the highest levels of the organization, the people said.
In an attempt to lighten spirits, Apple reportedly started a contest for employees to share photos of their work-from-home set ups. One rule, however, is entirely Apple-like: “If you’re working on anything confidential, please keep it out of the shot.”