Apple just fired the person behind the #AppleToo movement

By Oliver Haslam
published

Tim Cook
Tim Cook (Image credit: Apple)

What you need to know

  • Apple has fired the leader of the #AppleToo movement.
  • Janneke Parrish was reportedly fired after deleting apps from work devices during an investigation.

Apple has fired Janneke Parrish, the leader of the #AppleToo movement that has sought to collect stories of mismanagement and work issues within Apple. Parrish was reportedly fired after they deleted apps from their work devices during an investigation.

According to a report by The Verge, that constituted "non-compliance," enough for Apple to fire Parrish. The apps in question were Robinhood, Pokémon GO, and Google Drive and it isn't immediately clear what relation they had to the investigation itself.

Apple has fired Janneke Parrish, a leader of the #AppleToo movement, amid a broad crackdown on leaks and worker organizing. Parrish, a program manager on Apple Maps, was terminated for deleting files off of her work devices during an internal investigation — an action Apple categorized as "non-compliance," according to people familiar with the situation. The files included apps like Robinhood, Pokémon GO, and Google Drive.Internally, some employees expressed disbelief that Parrish's firing could be anything other than retaliation for organizing.

While Parrish has declined to comment, attorney Vincent P. White of White, Hilferty, and Albanese, told The Verge that they could confirm Parrish is no longer "with Apple." Apple has also so far not responded to comment.

The #AppleToo movement was set up to give Apple employees a way to submit stories about workplace harassment and discrimination. Some Apple employees reportedly believe that the latest firing comes as "retaliation for organizing."

Apple employees wishing to submit their own stories can continue to do so via the #AppleToo website.

Oliver Haslam
Oliver Haslam
Contributor

Oliver Haslam has written about Apple and the wider technology business for more than a decade with bylines on How-To Geek, PC Mag, iDownloadBlog, and many more. He has also been published in print for Macworld, including cover stories. At iMore, Oliver is involved in daily news coverage and, not being short of opinions, has been known to 'explain' those thoughts in more detail, too.

Having grown up using PCs and spending far too much money on graphics card and flashy RAM, Oliver switched to the Mac with a G5 iMac and hasn't looked back. Since then he's seen the growth of the smartphone world, backed by iPhone, and new product categories come and go. Current expertise includes iOS, macOS, streaming services, and pretty much anything that has a battery or plugs into a wall. Oliver also covers mobile gaming for iMore, with Apple Arcade a particular focus. He's been gaming since the Atari 2600 days and still struggles to comprehend the fact he can play console quality titles on his pocket computer.