The nightmare of the person who denounced Apple

“I think about my actions all the time, because my life is now a nightmare,” Gjøvik, 35, who lives in California, tells me. Telegraph.

Gjøvik used to be a senior manager of Apple. Last year, she filed a complaint against Apple, and at the same time made it public on Twitter that the company is poorly managed, some managers bully, harass and discriminate against employees. In September 2021, she received the decision to quit her job via email for reasons related to “sensitive intellectual property issues”.

Before being fired, Gjøvik was one of the people behind the #AppleToo movement, a website created by Apple employees to share stories of abuse and misconduct within the company. She was also forced to turn over personal photos to Apple lawyers when her development team got into an unrelated legal dispute in 2018.

“I often ask myself if I should do what I did. After all, the answer is always yes, because it’s all about everyone’s safety,” Gjøvik said.

While she doesn’t regret her decision, Gjøvik admits that being an enemy of Apple has made her life a lot more difficult.

As a manager, Gjøvik earns more than $400,000 a year working for Apple. She enjoys long vacations and lavish parties organized by the company. But she wants to stand up and fight for others who are disadvantaged.

Now, she regularly faces harassment both in real life and online. Every day, strange black cars drive around the compound where Gjøvik lives. Most recently, she received an anonymous message: “If Steve Jobs were alive and here, he would grab your hair and tell you tricks, because that’s the only talent you have.”

Despite the mental torture, Gjøvik remained optimistic. She enjoys helping people, spending time studying public international law and human rights at Santa Clara University. She also repeatedly criticized the way companies manage human resources in Silicon Valley.

“We need to re-evaluate how these companies treat us. With each passing day, they become stronger, and we become more and more dependent. We need more complaints, we need more people. show more,” said Gjøvik. “It’s hard for people at the top, like me, to speak up because they’re paid a lot of money. I cried about it a lot.”

Gjøvik is considered the bravest and most outspoken person in the #AppleToo movement. Others mostly shared stories anonymously, while she made her name public. She herself urges people to report Apple more, but she also admits that doing this is not necessarily a good idea because of the consequences that may be incurred later.

“I don’t recommend being a whistleblower unless you’re dealing with pressure and the loss of large social connections. Then you’re under the microscope for other people to look at, that’s it. indescribable feeling,” Gjøvik shared. “When you denounce, you will not only think about today, tomorrow, but a very long way after.”

When asked if Apple would reinstate her if the fight was successful, Gjøvik laughed, calling it “unbelievable”, but would “do well if possible”.

Despite constantly criticizing Apple, Gjøvik still uses Mac computers. However, she gave up the iPhone to switch to another device.

Bao Lam (according to Telegraph)