Apple’s been known for its extreme levels of secrecy since Steve Jobs made his return back in the late 1990s and, while that has changed somewhat under Tim Cook’s stewardship, there are still areas Apple is incredibly careful about revealing. An example? How about its new spaceship-style campus, for one.
According to a recent news report, Apple is insisting on criminal background checks for even the construction workers simply involved with pouring concrete for the new Apple HQ. It’s an unusual move from an unorthodox company, and it’s rubbing a few people up the wrong way.
“Apple is always nervous about preserving its proprietary information, and yet I don’t know how this would affect that concern,” Michael Theriault, president of Iron Workers Local Union 377 told the San Francisco-based SFGate news outlet. “Our folks put the wire in the reinforcing bar [of the building]. It makes no sense to me.”
Apple’s not just making idle chatter, either. In January, it reportedly ordered several construction workers with past felony convictions to leave the site. According to documents, Apple notes that anyone who has been convicted of a felony within the last 7 years, or who is facing charges, “does not meet owner standards” to work on the project.
Protesting letters have been sent to both Tim Cook and state Attorney General Kamala Harris, but no response has been received. “Apple’s prohibition against employment of former felons or those with a pending felony charge does not just fail to address inequality, then, but amplifies it,” the letters read. “It is, moreover, an evil precedent.”
Given his promotion of equality and Apple as a “force for good” in the world, I’d be surprised if Tim Cook wasn’t rankled by the accusation that he’s “amplifying” inequality and setting an “evil precedent.” At the same time, it’s hard to argue that Apple is being completely unreasonable here.
It may be paranoid thinking, but given how secretive the work carried out at Apple’s headquarters is, I can understand why the company would want to make sure it is as secure as possible. If a person wanted to bug the new campus, for instance, the easiest way to do this would be to secretly install bugs as the headquarters is constructed. There may also be internal details of the project that Apple doesn’t want getting out for whatever reason.
With that said, it does suck for recent ex-felons trying to rebuild their lives following stints behind bars. At least the construction industry is booming at the moment.
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
24 responses to “Apple doesn’t want ex-felons building its new spaceship campus”
I find it funny that Tim Cook is pushing so hard for equal rights based on your sexual preference, but the idea of ex criminals getting equal rights and a fair second chance is off the table.
Equal rights when it affects him it seems.
It’s not preference its orientation. There’s no choice involved.
All the more reason to believe that felons can change, and to give them every chance to do so.
Huh?
Maybe if the ex convicts were gay THEN this may have been a different story
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Apple has lost it’s way. Tim Cook is an
a hole. What other job is an x felon suppose to get? We are making it
impossible for these people to rehab their life. Shame on you apple.
Until you change I refuse to buy your products.
fyi.
1) california limits background checks for 7 years for most employers.
2) california enacted proposition 47. shoplifting / credit card crimes and forgery of up to $950 is now a misdemeanor.
3) if you are a felon and you have not been sentenced to prison, you can get your record cleared ( expunged ) for free from the public defenders office in your county.. if you felonies were wobblers, meaning they could of sentenced you to county jail instead of prison, you can get a pc 17 and even get your gun rights back.
4) if you did go to prison, then you need a pardon from the governor or a certificate of rehabilitation.
5) even with an expungement, you cannot work for the state lottery, or something that requires a state license, like a doctor or a nurse.
6) if the felonies were not wobblers and you get them expunged with a 1203.4 you do not get your gun rights back.
if i were you a, now that prop 47 is out. id start calling the public defenders office for a free expungement,
Totally agree with you. I think the Apple that we know and love is disappearing as time goes by and some of the things they do are so bad.
california limits employer background checks to 7 years.
I worked for my dad’s construction company for several years. We put the concrete drains on hillsides that you see throughout Southern California and elsewhere. That worked happened very early in the process, often even before streets were graded on job sites. I can tell you that there is NOTHING that a convicted felon could have done that would have even remotely affected the owners of the property.
I thought Apple was open to everyone, Mr. Cook?
Perhaps if Tim Cook were a former convict, he would write a letter to the New York Times condemned such unreasonable and hateful discrimination.
Tim Cook is a hypocrite. He is happy to due business in Saudi Arabia where a person can legally be executed for being gay. Won’t give a job to a American ex-con who might be trying to straighten his life out, though, no frickin way.
Bigot
How about the hiring error accepting workers that have a “clean record” but are “evil” not just excluding felons who are good moral workers. Maybe, Apple should pre screen their customers to make sure their money only comes from moral people.
Gotta laugh at this hypocrite.
Apple has a right to employ or not employ who ever they want. These union goons should be told to step off. Every company I have worked for, including Apple, has wanted a background check to make sure that I’m not a felon. No one is entitled to a job. Period. If you commit a felony, you should pay the price. If Apple doesn’t want to hire you, get over it. Move on.
“If you commit a felony, you should pay the price” I guess that we are talking about ex felons and if so, they already paid the price.
One thing is to not hire a felon, another is not to hire an ex felon.
There’s no such thing as an ex-felon, you’re either a felon or you’re not.
Utter hypocrisy. As a felon I find this deplorable and disgusting. What a hypocrite.
Nice one Tim Cook. There is a word that describes you to the letter. That word is hypocrite. Equality has different meanings for you And your company pertaining to certain people. Yep, you sir are a hypocrite.
Apple has completely lost their focus. Instead of trying to build the best products possible they’re off making $17,000 versions of $350 watches and building cars, all while ignoring bugs in their software, design problems in their hardware (Apple lost a class action lawsuit recently over a lemon law for the 2011 MBP’s), and intentionally crippling products (see 2014 mini). Then they make a laptop with 1 port and tell people it’s far more convenient to carry multiple adapter hubs.
No one with a criminal record is allowed to secure a government security clearance, nor are they allowed to teach in any public school. Why shouldn’t Apple be allowed to discriminate who has access to their highly secure facilities? All comers, except those who fail Apple’s security clearance process! I don’t see a problem here!
Not so. In the military (I would assume this would be true in other branches of government as well) you can simply get a waiver for criminal history and get up to a secret clearance.
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