Apple has fired one of the leaders of #AppleToo, an employee movement organized in response to alleged patterns of discrimination, racism and sexism at the company.
The tech company terminated Janneke Parrish, a program manager on Apple Maps, for “non-compliance” after she reportedly deleted files from her work device – including apps such as Google Drive, Robinhood and Pokémon Go – amid an internal investigation, the Verge reported.
Some employees within the company viewed the firing as retaliation for Parrish’s role as an organizer, according to the outlet.
Parrish did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and has not directly spoken out about her termination. But on Twitter, she said, “There are consequences for speaking out. There are consequences for doing the right thing,” while linking to the Verge’s article. “But we do the right thing because it is the right thing to do. #AppleToo is about asking Apple to do better, to end systemic discrimination, abuse, and pay inequity.”
There are consequences for speaking out. There are consequences for doing the right thing.
But we do the right thing because it is the right thing to do. #AppleToo is about asking Apple to do better, to end systemic discrimination, abuse, and pay inequity.
Do the right thing. https://t.co/nhxFlflSvR
— Janneke Parrish (@JannekeParrish) October 15, 2021
Parrish’s termination came days after Ashley Gjovik, a former Apple employee fired last month for allegedly leaking information, filed a complaint against the company with the National Labor Relations Board. Gjovik, who had been sharing allegations of harassment while working at Apple, claims the company’s employee rules as well as the CEO Tim Cook’s pledges to crack down on leakers violate US law.
Apple said in a statement on Friday that it does not discuss matters related to specific employees.
“We are and have always been deeply committed to creating and maintaining a positive and inclusive workplace. We take all concerns seriously and we thoroughly investigate whenever a concern is raised and, out of respect for the privacy of any individuals involved, we do not discuss specific employee matters.”
The notoriously secretive company has been rocked by public displays of dissent from its workforce in recent months as workers across the tech industry call for greater accountability from their employers.
In August, a group of workers, including Parrish, launched #AppleToo, a campaign to gather and share current and past employees’ experiences of inequity, intimidation and abuse. The initiative came after workers tried to address complaints with company leadership internally, organizers say.
Cher Scarlett, another leader of #AppleToo, filed a complaint with the NLRB in September, accusing the company of stopping her effort to conduct pay transparency surveys. Scarlett also said she had been doxxed by a colleague for pushing for pay transparency.
“Apple does not care about its employees. It cares about money,” Scarlett told the Washington Post. “Maybe that’s capitalism, and that’s just the way corporations are. But I can’t live my life further accepting it and not saying something about it.”
#AppleToo says it has gathered accounts from more than 500 workers who say they were subjected to discrimination and sexual harassment at work, allegations they say they shared with management but were left unaddressed.
“One of the goals of #AppleToo is to ensure that all those who have not had a voice, all those who sought help and found none, get a voice,” Parrish wrote in a post sharing several workers’ stories. “These stories represent a systemic issue and the need to do better.”
