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Apple is so obsessed with security that it puts people to work on fake projects until they prove themselves

Apple is so obsessed with security that it puts people to work on fake projects until they prove themselves

Posted: 30 Jan 2012, 06:57, by Victor H.

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Apple is so obsessed with security that it puts people to work on fake projects until they prove themselves

Here’s an interesting little extract from an apperance by Adam Lashinsky, author of the book "Inside Apple", revealing the details about Apple’s obsession with security. Cupertino is known for having rigorous interviews with wannabe employees, but even when they pass them, not all of them are immediately trusted. Some of the employees are actually put on fake projects for months on end until they prove their reliability, a snippet of the Q&A reveals.

“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,” a former Apple engineer said.

Here’s another interesting part of the exchange:

AM: Even [Apple CEO] Tim Cook has so much charisma that he could certainly be our next president. I can say that very, very confidently.AL: You mean of the United States?AM: Yes.AL: The only thing I would disagree is I don’t think he has the political chops to put up with the BS that politicians have to put up with.

Additionally, the atmosphere at Apple would allegedly not allow much of a display of one’s ego. “For 14 years there was only one ego that really mattered at Apple, and that was Steve Jobs’s,” Lashinksy stressed.

Check out the interview below and let us know about your opinion - this strategy s obviously working for Apple but would you be willing to work for a company under such conditions?

source: Jim Romanesko via BusinessInsider

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1. harsh_732006 posted on 30 Jan 2012, 08:03 4 3

WTF?..

15. Lucas777 posted on 30 Jan 2012, 18:25 1 1

eh it really doesnt seem that horrible to me… if i were hiring an engineer i would want to make sure he first knew what he was doing before working on a big project and also wasnt someone who would mess up the workflow… its kind of like a large interview except im assuming they are paid for it..

2. SuperAndroidEvo posted on 30 Jan 2012, 08:05 12 4

Well that is all good & great, but how about having people prove themselves by not leaving prototype iPhones at the local bars?

Just a thought! lol

3. InternetsTroll posted on 30 Jan 2012, 08:18 5 0

Like A Boss

6. remixfa posted on 30 Jan 2012, 09:05 4 7

boom. served. lol

4. tluv00 posted on 30 Jan 2012, 08:23 6 0

No wonder their products cost so much. Seems their customers are subsidizing fake projects and non revenue generating activities. Obviously successful though.

10. theoak posted on 30 Jan 2012, 09:58 1 0

"non revenue generating activities"

Ah ... with all the money Apple has ... they could probably start giving away their phones and still stay profitable with iTunes.

Who cares! Whatever Apple is doing ... fake or not ... it is obviously working. More power to them.

5. TKFox007 posted on 30 Jan 2012, 08:48 5 0

And no one has snapped and gone Postal at Apple why?

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7. remixfa posted on 30 Jan 2012, 09:06 8 11

wow, the more we hear about apple's culture and how they treat their employees, the worse my opinion of them gets, and it wasnt all that stellar to begin with. WTF.. lol.

9. iamcc posted on 30 Jan 2012, 09:47 10 4

Eh, I disagree. If I owned a company as successful as Apple (and if as much of that success relied on secrecy like it does) I would do the same thing.

But that's just me and I don't trust anyone but myself. :)

12. remixfa posted on 30 Jan 2012, 14:50 3 3

which tech giant doesn't rely on tons of secrecy? this isn't security its paranoia and reconditioning

13. iamcc posted on 30 Jan 2012, 15:17 4 2

Everyone relies on secrecy but until the last year or two Apple has continued to amaze consumers with new products that have features that haven't been accomplished by other companies.

As much as I am an Android person I recognize that things like the MacBook Air and the first all touchscreen iPod are just great innovations on earlier technology that does require a certain level of secrecy that's different from other companies.

I can definitely find a lot to complain about Apple but something like this makes sense to me...

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14. remixfa posted on 30 Jan 2012, 15:40 3 3

the MacBook air is nice but it wasn't revolutions from apple. that was the use of samsungs ssd technology, integration of other parts through evolution, and for apple's part.. a pretty design. the iPod touch Is nothing more than an iPhone without cell service... which existed years before the touch.

Ms does incredible things without treating their employees like untrustworthy dirt. have you ever seen the stuff they did for their "future home" concepts? electronic paint and all sorts of stuff. apple gets a lot of devoted fandom, but they don't actually take big leaps.

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8. PAPINYC posted on 30 Jan 2012, 09:33 6 4

Then they should all be fired because they've all 'FAILED' to realize that iPhones are iFakes.

17. E.N. posted on 31 Jan 2012, 13:28 0 0

what does that even mean?

11. andro. posted on 30 Jan 2012, 14:14 3 4

This is funny as Apple have obviously messed up and a blatant fake project ended up somehow getting released as a real phone called the 'Iphone 4s' !!