Apple has always been known for secrets related to strictly confidential product development. In 2012, Apple CEO Tim Cook pledged to increase the company's confidentiality. In 2017, Apple and the company members held a private meeting. Employees are asked not to disclose it. But since then, there have been a lot of media coverage of the Apple iPhone X mobile phone, the new Apple TV video streaming set-top box, the new Apple Watch with LTE display, and the company’s upcoming listing enhancements. Realistic headset, new iPad, software upgrades and new iPhone and AirPod headsets and more.
The following is Apple's latest internal memo:
Last month, Apple seized and fired an employee who leaked information related to the company's 'Apple Software Roadmap'-themed internal secret meeting. Hundreds of software engineers attended the secret meeting, with thousands of employees in the department. All the details of the meeting were recorded. However, one employee betrayed their trust.
The employee who leaked the content of the meeting to the media later told Apple investigators that he did so because he believed that his leak would not be discovered. But in fact, all leaked people - whether Apple employees, Contract workers or suppliers - will eventually be caught, and they are caught faster than before.
In many cases, whistleblowers are not subjective. In contrast, people working for Apple often become media, industry analysts, and bloggers who often publish messages through professional and social networks such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. Goals, these people will pay a certain amount of compensation to those who work for Apple, and in return for the corresponding secret information. Although these people are flattering, but it is crucial that you have to remember that you are playing by them. Measure these The criterion for the success of outsiders is to see how many Apple secrets they get from your mouth, and then to open these secrets. A small amount of reports about Apple's undisclosed products can bring huge amounts of traffic to their publications, allowing them to report on these. Secret bloggers or reporters get huge economic profits. However, Apple employees who leaked these secrets will lose everything.
The impact of disclosure is far more than the Apple employees who work on the project.
Leaking Apple's work-related secrets will affect all Apple employees, and it will also affect Apple's many years of investment in building products. Josh Shaffer, head of the UIKit project, said, 'Thousands of people tirelessly After spending several months preparing to launch some important software and seeing the leaks, we feel that this is a disaster for all of us. ' The work of the Safar team was part of the iOS 11 system related work leaked last autumn.
The impact of disclosure will not only affect those who engage in a particular project, but will also impact the entire company. Information about the leakage of new products can have a negative impact on the sales of current products and give competitors more time to prepare. Retaliation measures will also lead to a decline in sales of new products at the time of listing. Greg Joswiak, an Apple product marketing executive, said in a memo that 'We hope to have the opportunity to explain our products to our customers. The reason why it is excellent, and why it is not easily imitated by others.'
Apple’s investment in confidentiality has also had a huge impact on the company’s ability to lock in and capture the leaked. Prior to the special event in September last year, an employee leaked a link to the gold master version of iOS 11 to the media. , And also think he will not be caught. This unreleased operating system includes more details about the software and hardware that will be announced soon (including iPhone X, etc.). However, just a few days Internally, we locked the leaked person through an internal investigation and expelled him. In addition, the electronic equipment of the security company Global Security also helped us to seize a number of bloggers leaked to the 9to5Mac, including the iPhone X, iPad Pro Detailed secret information related to new products including AirPod.
Of course, leakers in Apple's supply chain will also be caught. Global Security will work closely with suppliers to prevent Apple's patents from being stolen, and it will also identify any employees who try to do things beyond the scope of their functions. The security company also worked with suppliers to identify holes in the physical and technical aspects of Apple's apple products and ensure that their security levels meet or exceed Apple's expected standards. These measures have almost prevented the theft of prototypes and products at the factory. It also helped to seize the confidants and prevented a large number of other people from attempting to reveal their secrets on the first site.
The whistleblowers are not just as simple as being unemployed at Apple. In some cases, they also face jail time and huge fines because intruding on the Internet and stealing trade secrets are all considered federal crimes. In 2017, Apple got a total of 29 The name of the leaked person, 12 of whom were leaked. These leaked persons included formal Apple employees, contract workers, and employees from the supply chain. These people not only lost their jobs, but also encountered great difficulties in seeking new jobs elsewhere. Difficulties. Tom Moyer of Global Security stated that the possibility of legal consequences of disclosure is real and that it will always be part of their personal and professional identity.
Despite the serious consequences faced by the leakers, leaks are always unavoidable. The leaker may not have considered the consequences when making the leak decision. Gregg said, 'All employees at Apple are doing their best in their lives. Good work, doing a job that is significant to Apple's 135,000 employees, and working with these employees for Apple, but anyway, the most important thing is to become an Apple's worthy employee. Just don't leak it. '