Apple HQ suicide victim has been identified

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Apple may as well run Cupertino.
Tragic death at Apple headquarters was 25-year-old software engineer Edward Mackowiak.
Photo: Benjamin Feenstra

The tragic death at Apple’s 1 Infinite Loop headquarters this week has been identified by police as 25-year-old software engineer Edward Thomas Mackowiak.

Police were called to Apple’s HQ at 8.35am on Wednesday, along with paramedics. Mackowiak was discovered dead in a conference room, reportedly as the result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Investigators have revealed that “no foul play” was involved, and that this was an “isolated incident.”

In a statement, Apple said: “We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of a young and talented coworker. Our thoughts and deepest sympathies go out to his family and friends, including the many people he worked with here at Apple.”

Not long after Mackowiak was named, a number of his social media pages were deleted. What has remained, however, are the words of numerous people who worked and studied with him over the years — particularly at his former school Rochester Institute of Technology. What emerges are reports of a kind, prodigiously talented young man who served as a mentor and inspiration to many of his contemporaries.

When I wrote about this story yesterday, a few commenters pointed out, correctly, that his death followed shortly after Apple’s disappointing earnings call and subsequent share price plummet. I don’t think it’s right to speculate on causes, but when something like this happens, it’s rarely the result of just one thing.

With that in mind, we should point out the existence of services like the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, which are readily available for anyone who has thoughts about self-harm.

Source: TechCrunch

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