keynote osx iconBloomberg Businessweek reports that a former Apple employee who was fired last December has filed suit against the company, claiming that Steve Jobs had promised him lifetime job security. The employee, Wayne Goodrich, served as the executive producer for Apple's public presentations and says that he was a confidant of Jobs. Goodrich says that he oversaw the production of a number of important keynote events such as the introduction of the iPhone and iPad, and was the first person to introduce Apple to Siri, which Apple later acquired.

Goodrich, who worked for Jobs since 1998, was promised by late chairman of the world’s most valuable company in a one-on- one meeting in May 2005 that he would always have a job at Apple, according to the complaint. The conversation took place after Jobs’s return from medical leave to receive treatment for pancreatic cancer, Goodrich said.

“This express promise by Steve Jobs was consistent with a practice that Steve Jobs had, acting on behalf of defendant Apple, of promising job security to certain key employees who worked directly with him for many years,” Goodrich said in the complaint.

Goodrich claims that Jobs had reiterated the promise in 2010 but that he was ultimately fired last December so that Apple could avoid paying him restricted stock that had been awarded in 2008, not because of any issues with his job performance.

Top Rated Comments

RoboCop001 Avatar
138 months ago
Better call Saul.
Score: 47 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CylonGlitch Avatar
138 months ago
He didn't understand that when Steve said "Lifetime Position" he meant as long as STEVE was alive.
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
SandboxGeneral Avatar
138 months ago
If he doesn't have that in writing with Steve's signature, I doubt he will have any standing. A one-on-one conversation with no witnesses and half of the conversation a dead person, isn't going to hold up in court very well.
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
12dylan34 Avatar
138 months ago
Well I'm shocked that Apple would ever hire a complete idiot for a Keynote Address Producer.

Talk about your frivolous lawsuits..... it's almost like he's trying to get a job with Google or Samsung.

You think it's frivolous to sue for having your livelihood taken away when you were promised it wouldn't be? Especially Apple firing him for such a stupid and greedy reason as not having to pay his stock out. I'm sorry, but put the fanboyism aside and have some humanity.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sn Avatar
138 months ago
Goodrich fired?

Steve would never have allowed this.
Score: 16 Votes (Like | Disagree)
seamer Avatar
138 months ago
Verbal contracts are legally binding. It's not the guys fault Jobs died. And a company like that would have it down somewhere. This guy wouldn't make such a case against Apple if he didn't have something substantial to base it on.

Nice to see the fanboys taking the side of the company and blast the guy who.. You know.. Made the keynotes announcing all of the greatest products ever. At least give the benefit of the doubt. Jobs would never have an idiot in the upper echelons.

If I'm wrong, fine.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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