Apple is one of these super-successful companies that rarely has a product go by unnoticed. It has a steady foothold in pretty much every market it’s in — smartphones, tablets, computers, and even headphones (though it doesn’t do super-well with its set top boxes and smart speakers). Which is why it’s always worth taking note when there’s a rise in resignations.
And, according to Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter — as told by Apple Insider —, Apple seems to be dealing with a headcount leakage in three of its departments. Those being the Health, iCloud, and AI teams.
We aren’t given any ballpark number or anything, but the report states that the amount of resignations is higher than ordinary and goes on to speculate what could be happening behind the curtains that would warrant an exodus.
The report names two of the higher-ups that have decided to leave Apple and discusses what the reasons behind the departures might be.
The first high-profile person is Mr. Ruslan Meshenberg, who used to be Engineering Leader for the iCloud infrastructure department. It appears that Mr. Meshenberg started work over at Apple back in January of 2020 and left in May 2021, after a year and five months with the company. Don’t worry, Ruslan Meshenberg is now with Google as VP of Core Site Reliability Engineering. There was a 2-month gap between these two positions, so it doesn’t look like a straight-up poaching situation, but hey — who knows.
The second high-up name is Emily Fox — chief of Health AI research. The report states she is leaving Apple for a position at a university later this year. More to the point — she will be joining Stanford in Fall of 2021, but it’s worth noting that Emily B. Fox has been an Assistant Professor (and subsequently — Professor) at the University of Washington over the past decade. So, the change includes a move and a new — seemingly more demanding — job position. Makes sense.
As for what the reasons for the alleged “mass exodus” might be — there are three theories. The first one being that Apple managed to hire an “atypically high number of engineers”. If that is the case then, yes, sooner or later some might find that they are not doing the job they want to do, or they are constantly stepping on somebody else’s toes, or battling red tape.
The second theory is that many employees are unhappy with Apple’s strategy to return everyone to their offices this October. However, this doesn’t make much sense, as Apple has shown readiness to postpone that date. The original plan was to get everyone back to the offices in September, but that date was pushed back due to the current resurgence of the virus that shall not be named. So, while Apple has stated that it finds in-person relations to be important for its work culture (and probably to reduce leaks), its actions show that it’s willing to be continually flexible and cautious when it comes to its USA headquarters.
.@tim_cook spoke w/ me yesterday about this same issue at @Apple:
“…our main focus right now is on when to come back…we pushed it from early September to at least October…we are monitoring things daily to really conclude whether that is the right answer or not” https://t.co/zhBqwocynm
Though, it is worth noting that there’s a considerable amount of Apple employees in favor of a more “flexible” option than an outright “return to offices” one. Other companies have already made such plans, including Twitter, which went to a full-on “work from home forever” scheme. But, Apple produces a complex ecosystem of products and services, so a work from home option probably puts a larger strain on its processes.
The third reason stated is a “lack of optimism” about the products and services they are developing. Specifically, the Health team is reportedly struggling with some type of internal issues, but not much light has been shed on that.
Is there any drama happening behind the scenes at Apple? Well, given this information… likely not.
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Preslav, a member of the PhoneArena team since 2014, is a mobile technology enthusiast with a penchant for integrating tech into his hobbies and work. Whether it's writing articles on an iPad Pro, recording band rehearsals with multiple phones, or exploring the potential of mobile gaming through services like GeForce Now and Steam Link, Preslav's approach is hands-on and innovative. His balanced perspective allows him to appreciate both Android and iOS ecosystems, focusing on performance, camera quality, and user experience over brand loyalty.
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