How Apple hunts down media leaks
By Shalini Singh

By any measure Apple computers can be credited with some of the best designed technological marvels that have done much to improve the quality of our lives.  For the consumer, it also ensured tech giants like Microsoft and IBM did not control the market. Apple is equally loved by its share holders for posting $10 Billion in revenue in the last quarter.

In its early years, Apple projected itself as the young, innovate, carefree company fighting the might of market giants like IBM and Microsoft.  In reality, Apple is run like a cult with no one dare crossing their great leader Steve Jobs.  Steve Jobs once cheated Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. Steve Jobs was thrown out of Apple only to be invited back later.  Steve was known to have abused juniors in meetings by shouting at them: “How much are we paying you for this?”  But everyone forgave Steve Jobs as they saw him a cranky genius who was making billions of dollars for the company and shareholders.  And just like in many benevolent dictatorships and Islamic kingdoms, there are millions of faithful who believe in the leader’s vision and methods.

Apple blacklists all media who do not toe their line.  Only a handful of media like Gizmodo report on what really happens inside Apple.

Gizmodo has just published an article titled ‘Apple Gestapo: How Apple Hunts Down Leaks’  which details how Steve Jobs has a team whose only job is to monitor what employees are doing. An ex Apple employee explained how they track and sack anyone who leaks information to the media.

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"Apple has these moles working everywhere, especially in departments where leaks are suspected. Management is not aware of them," Tom told me, "once they suspect a leak, the special forces—as we call them—will walk in the office at any hour, especially in the mornings. They will contact whoever was the most senior manager in the building, and ask them to coordinate the operation."

The process is pretty simple: The manager will instruct all employees to stay at their desks, telling them what to do and what to expect at any given time. The Apple Gestapo never handles the communication. They are there, present, supervising the supervisors, making sure everything goes as planned.

All cellphones are then taken.

They don't ask for cameras because there are no cameras at Apple: Employees are not allowed to get into the campus with them.

…….
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This Gizmodo report is recommended reading for anyone who wants to understand how Apple is run.