Previewed at WWDC, launching in the fall.
Apple's Secrecy Extends to Putting New Employees on Fake Projects
In his new book, Inside Apple, Adam Lashinsky details the process undergone by new hires at Apple, noting that many of them are hired without knowing the exact project they are working on that they are frequently put through a testing period working on a different project in order to provide time to evaluate their trustworthiness.For new recruits, the secret keeping begins even before they learn which of these building they'll be working in. Despite surviving multiple rounds of rigorous interviews, many employees are hired into so-called dummy positions, roles that aren't explained in detail until after they join the company. The new hires have been welcomed but not yet indoctrinated and aren't necessarily to be trusted with information as sensitive as their own mission. "They wouldn't tell me what it was," remembered a former engineer who had been a graduate student before joining Apple. "I knew it was related to the iPod, but not what the job was." Others do know but won't say, a realization that hits the newbies on their first day of work at new-employee orientation.As noted by Business Insider, a former Apple engineer confirmed that piece of information during the Q&A portion of Lashinsky's recent talk at LinkedIn (video clip via Fortune), going even farther to note that new hires are even sometimes placed on fake products during this probationary period.
A friend of mine who's a senior engineer at Apple, he works on -- or did work on -- fake products I'm sure for the first part of his career, and interviewed for 9 months. It's intense.
Lashinsky's tidbit on new hires is just one facet of his lengthier coverage of Apple's strict secrecy, part of which has been republished for Fortune as a look into how Apple's organizational structure maintains the company's security. His full 50-minute LinkedIn talk is also available on YouTube.
[ 141 comments ]
Top Rated Comments
(View all)
86 months ago
I'd love to know what the fake projects were.
"Today guys, we're going to reinvent the toilet."
"Today guys, we're going to reinvent the toilet."
86 months ago
Finally! A new post. I swear MacRumors just shuts down on the weekends. It's like a 9-5 job! Please post on the weekends, macrumors!
On topic: it's insane how secretive apple can be. Insanely awesome.
On topic: it's insane how secretive apple can be. Insanely awesome.
86 months ago
How to fit in:
1. DONT take prototype iPhones to a Bar
2. DONT FU*KING leave it there either
3. DONT let Jony Ive catch you with a Window's Phone, he'll snap your neck like a twig
1. DONT take prototype iPhones to a Bar
2. DONT FU*KING leave it there either
3. DONT let Jony Ive catch you with a Window's Phone, he'll snap your neck like a twig
86 months ago
I bet its really hard to get a job with Apple. I bet the clean up staff even have to go through numerous interviews. I think Apple would hate for one of the clean up staff members to pick up a picture of the new iPhone 5 and take it home.
Nah. Apple is all about simpilicity. It hires a tester to leave a real one at a bar.
86 months ago
I always thought about it, but now I am convinced that Apple is a branch of the CIA.
EDIT: I was only joking guys...Geeeez
EDIT: I was only joking guys...Geeeez
86 months ago
"Thats amazing, although a good way of evaluating their work without making mistakes on a 'live' project."
And yet, we have Lion and countless other examples of people making mistakes on "live" projects.
And yet, we have Lion and countless other examples of people making mistakes on "live" projects.
86 months ago
North Korea could learn from these guys. Fake products... I never would have guessed it.
86 months ago
"Thats amazing, although a good way of evaluating their work without making mistakes on a 'live' project."
And yet, we have Lion and countless other examples of people making mistakes on "live" projects.
please you act like a new OS never has an issue or more...Lion is far from Vista status and with the exception of a couple changes I didn't like and a handful of bugs...it's just fine, Leopard 2.0. Relax...
[ Read All Comments ]
With watchOS 5, Apple has added support for WebKit, which is designed to allow you to view content from the web right on your wrist, something that's entirely new to the Apple Watch.
...
Twelve South last month introduced its newest product, the AirSnap case designed to work with Apple's AirPods.
Priced at $29.99, the AirSnap is made from a supple, full-grain leather...
Apple today seeded the eighth beta of a new tvOS 12 operating system to developers for testing purposes, one week after releasing the seventh beta and more than two months after introducing the new...
Apple today seeded the eighth beta of an upcoming watchOS 5 update to developers, one week after releasing the seventh beta and over two months after introducing the software at the Worldwide...
Popular iOS and Android weather app Dark Sky has updated with "one of the biggest overhauls" to date, according to a new blog post that the company shared online today.
The update...
Fitbit today announced the "Fitbit Charge 3," its latest fitness tracker that includes improvements to health and workout features, a 7-day battery life, and advanced sleep tracking with an...
Mojang's classroom-focused "Minecraft: Education Edition" will launch on the iPad in September, allowing teachers to incorporate the game into their lesson plans for the new school year...
Earlier this month, hip-hop artist Nicki Minaj debuted her latest album "Queen" on her new Beats 1 radio show "Queen Radio," just minutes before its wider release. And, by the sounds...
