The backstory of the ongoing movement within
First, it was #Metoo, then #BlackLivesMatter, and now some employees of the global computers company, Apple are forming their movement.
It all started with two former employees, Cher Scarlett and Janneke Parrish backed by dozens of anonymous complaints ranging from alleged harassment, sexism, and other forms of workplace mistreatment.
During Parrish’s interview with NPR, She describes AppleTwo’s objective.
“I was hoping to give a voice to those who have been ignored, gaslit or retaliated against for abuse in the workplace, They are stories that echoed across the company.”
The movement has only just begun and so has the backlash.
In September, the company fired one of their senior engineer program managers, Ashley Gjøvik.
Gjøvik was fired for allegedly leaking out confidential information that violated the company’s policies.
However, Gjøvik had taken to Twitter about many accusations including harassment, lack of safety in the workplace, and surveillance.
Gjøvik later went even further with a whole thread of what happened between her and Apple.
The most recent firings were Janneke Parrish herself. Parrish was a program manager who had been with the company for over five years. The reason for her firing was due to allegedly deleting certain files during an internal investigation.
During the later half of her interview with NPR, she mentions what she thought was the real reason for her dismissal.
“This is retaliation. I have been one of the most visible members of #AppleToo. I know the risk of doing that, I see a consistent pattern when each of the members of #AppleToo are subjected to investigations or Apple leadership approaches them. There has been a pattern established.”
Apple spokesperson, Josh Rosenstock had told the press in response to the current allegations that the company is committed to maintaining an inclusive workplace for all.
Even though they lost their positions, they are still going strong with AppleTwo. There have been many supporters on their side since its founding.
Apple is not the only company under fire. Google, Glitch, Mapbox, and Change.org are among several tech companies whose workers are making strive for change.
Hopefully, this can become the start of something for the books. Only time will tell.
Let's see how this plays out.
