Apple CEO Steve Jobs has put pen to paper during his medical leave to write Apple employees in Japan, and if any CEO has ever written a classier and more modest promise of total and complete support to those in the turmoil of a great national tragedy, I’ve yet to read it.
To Our Team in Japan,
We have all been following the unfolding disaster in Japan. Our hearts go out to you and your families, as well as all of your countrymen who have been touched by this tragedy.
If you need time or resources to visit or care for your families, please see HR and we will help you. If you are aware of any supplies that are needed, please also tell HR and we will do what we can to arrange delivery.
Again, our hearts go out to you during this unimaginable crisis.
Please stay safe.
Steve and the entire Executive Team
Class all the way.
[via MacStories]
John Brownlee is a writer for Fast Company, and a contributing writer here at CoM. He has also written for Wired, Playboy, Boing Boing, Popular Mechanics, VentureBeat, and Gizmodo. He lives in Boston with his wife and two parakeets. You can follow him here on Twitter.
66 responses to “Steve Jobs Tells Japan Employees: “We Will Help You.””
Yet again, Steve sets the bar for what a truly successful company should be: its leadership, its products, its goals and strategies, its operations, how it treats its employees, and how it acts responsibly in the world.
I wonder how well they follow through on their supply requests. Just curious.
Steve Jobs has just defined the difference between Apple and the rest of the computing universe. At most companies, it’s about making a profit while selling and servicing hardware and software. At Apple, it’s about making a profit while people’s lives better….and that includes Apple employees.
Will he help them by doubling the meager salary that he is paying them?
It looks like they hired an 8-year old.
———–
and how it acts responsibly in the world.
———–
Pffftttt yeah right. If that were true he wouldn’t have acted like such a twit during D8 and denied that his company does business with Chinese suppliers who enforce militaristic sweatshop practices. Jobs lost most of my respect with his comments involving Foxxconn at D8.
———–
At Apple, it’s about making a profit while people’s lives better….
———–
Go work at Foxxconn then tell me if your life has become any better because of Apple.
You do know Foxxconn makes products for other companies, HP, Sony, Samsung, etc. It is not only Apple.
How much would you pay retail employees?
“Go work at Foxxconn then tell me if your life has become any better because of Apple.”
YOU EDIOT!!! Apple don’t own Foxxconn, The chinese own and run Foxxconn!!! Apple is one of their customer where it has a contract to do business with and Foxxconn pays their employees however they want! Apple on the other hand can not tell Foxxconn what to do and how to pay their employees, it’s Foxxconn’s business. Apple is like every other company who will try to find the least minimal cost at labor where they can and who can blame Apple for that? Only ignorant people like you “iHate_Is_Back” and you’re so stupid that you blabbering with your head up in your ass!!!
Now, let’s take a look at different point of view, shall we? Let’s say Apple brings all that labor back here to the U.S. and have them assembled here, the price WILL skyrocket it to the roof and who will be able to buy them then? NOT to mention the labor UNION getting involved with demanding high wages with minimal input.
So “iHate_Is_Back”! Go get a life and keep you head up in your ass and don’t blabber, PERIOD!!!
While I don’t agree with what iHate is saying, that’s not the point. “If everyone jumped off a cliff…” What Apple is doing is still wrong. However, we don’t know the full situation, so who are we to judge? Pressure them to not use sweatshops, yes, but judge, no. Just as I don’t judge HP, Sony, Samsung, etc.
“What Apple is doing is still wrong.”???
Apple is NOT doing anything wrong here!!! There is NO “sweatshops” here or there!!! or at Foxxconn!!! There is no “LOCKED” chains on their ankles! They come and go as they please. Have the chinese government filed a complaint against Apple? have the international community condemned Apple for slave labors? or you people are blowing smokes out of your asses again? Have you all been there in china to see for yourself? I HAVE! and the workers actually thank heaven that Apple has a contract to do business with Foxxconn, they even have only one concern and that is what would happen to them once Apple contract is over and Apple might decide to move to another country like Vietam, I also know that the Vietnamese government is trying very hard to attract Apple Inc. to open factories with tremendous tax breaks and incentives. How do I know all this? I read both chinese and vietnamese languages online. So enjoy your beautiful Apple products while you can at the least amount in cost and I for one, thank GOD that I can afford Apple products and enjoy it at the same time and I can careless where Apple has them made as long as it’s reasonable priced. So stop all your whining.
Way a go you just managed to make yourself look completely ridiculous in under two hundred words.
————
The chinese own and run Foxxconn!!! Apple is one of their customer where it has a contract to do business with and Foxxconn pays their employees however they want! Apple on the other hand can not tell Foxxconn what to do and how to pay their employees
————
In one word BULL!!!! When it concerns the exploitation of workers through militaristic work environment forced 16 hour days and the employment of child labor all caused by a political regime whose only goal is to suppress any and all free political will of its own people EVERY SINGLE BUSINESS SHOULD AND MUST HAVE THE MORAL OBLIGATION AND FORTITUDE TO CANCEL WHATEVER BUSINESS THEY DO WITH THEM AND FIND ANOTHER SUPPLIER. Apple, HP, Dell and these other foolish companies refuse to do that because the only thing any of them care about is shoving more money in their pockets. That’s such an evil attitude to have.
————-
Only ignorant people like you “iHate_Is_Back” and you’re so stupid that you blabbering with your head up in your ass!!!
So “iHate_Is_Back”! Go get a life and keep you head up in your ass and don’t blabber, PERIOD!!!
————–
To Khaney, Martin the other writers of COM
I know people have complained about my language on here and my attitude. In a past post I even said I would try and not go neanderthal. This is the best i can do gentlemen/ladies.
@iPad2
I suggest you watch your filthy little mouth because I’m the last guy you really want to anger on here. Firstly I’m the one who speaks out concerning matters involving human rights and exploitation and am smart enough to know that having someones rights trampled on isn’t worth a stupid gizmo. In short its YOU WHO HAS HIS HEAD UP HIS ASS NOT ME. Until you realize that its the human soul that’s eternal not some dumb piece of plastic and tin you’re in for a sad and empty existence.
Secondly it is my god given right to say whatever the heck I choose PERIOD. You don’t like a strong dose of the truth THAT’S YOUR PROBLEM. If you have a problem with my views ITS YOUR PROBLEM NOT ANYONE ELSE’S. If my views drive you so crazy to the point you come on here screaming insults and spewing hate towards me then go outside and bang your head against the pavement. Maybe the resulting concussion will knock some sense into that mule head of yours.
———-
Now, let’s take a look at different point of view, shall we? Let’s say Apple brings all that labor back here to the U.S. and have them assembled here, the price WILL skyrocket it to the roof and who will be able to buy them then? NOT to mention the labor UNION getting involved with demanding high wages with minimal input.
———-
Awww poor little Apple boy. Now instead of buying an iPhone and iPad every year you’re stuck upgrading every 2 or 3 years. Boooohooohooo cry me a river. For the record I don’t want those jobs in China to disappear. What I want is the Chinese workers in those factories to stop being treated like cattle and be treated with respect and be paid proper wages and benefits. Would I like to see Apple create manufacturing jobs in the U.S.A. ? Well I’m not American but that aside yes I do. Why? Because it was the American public who made Apple and also because when America does well so does my country and other countries. I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired of always hearing about high unemployment, and people losing their jobs all because some fat richie rich whose making a seven figure salary outsourced job’s to India, China, Brazil so he/she could get away with paying them slave labor wages so he/she could make an even higher seven figure salary.
Of coarse people like you couldn’t care less about any of the points I just mentioned in my post. As long as you have a stupid Mac/iPhone/iPad you can show off and act like some tech savy fashionista you’re happy. Here’s some news for you dummy. When people like you start flashing your Apple gear around most people aren’t impressed. Matter of fact the very vast majority of people only think you’re a huge dunce who just paid 200, 300, 400 extra to get a computer that performs the exact same as its cheaper PC rivals.
In final summation iPad2 I’ve just called you out and called you what probably everyone around you in real life thinks. You’re stupid iPad2, stupid and ignorant. Now take your ignorance shove off and be a good little iSheep and go chew your cud in the corner.
P.S.
Considering the the iPad2 supply chain is constrained and Foxxconn is infamous for forcing 16 hour days on its employees not to mention that there were cases of workers being poisoned by breathing in chemicals while manufacturing iPhone screens I hope you continue enjoying your iPhone and iPad2. Hows it feel to know the products you just bought may have been assembled by someone who was poisoned or was worked so hard they may have collapsed?
You’re full of it. Those workers are chained. They’re chained by a financial system geared against them caused by a communist govt who intentionally keeps them down. Also apple and others have been condemned by certain human rights groups for choosing to do business with companies known to implement sweatshop work environment. Take your self centered me attitude and get lost. People like you are whats wrong with the world.
Does it really matter? Whether its 1 company doing it or 388868769790 companies doing it its still wrong.
Can anyone here hear what that “iHate_Is_Back” blabbering about now?… LMAO! I sure as hell can’t.
wah chu talkin’ bout? man!
just like the little “Arnold used to say” eh???
Blah, Blah, Blah…
Hey “iHate” I take it that you hate apple stuffs, so why are you here? why don’t you go somewhere else like windows forum and change your name to iLove windows or something, that way people in windows can love you. Obviously you’re here in apple forum with “iHate” name, you must be “purdy” stupid! or you use “iHate” because you can’t afford apple stuffs or apple is way above your pay-grade and you can’t get them, so you just hate them? that’s “purdy” lame on your part.
You sound like a transvestite, are you a transvestite? hahaha…
you make no sense!
LMAO…! It is a transvestite! I don’t know how to call it, a he or a she? or maybe just call a it or a It!…
hahaha… iwho, you’re funny!
Excuse me….I’m sorry but I can’t understand you because you’re mumbling. You’ll have to remove Steve Jobs cock from your mouth if you want anyone to understand you.
LMAO actually if I wanted to I could afford a Mac. Matter of fact I bought an iPod classic a few years ago an later a iPod touch and used to exclusively use iTunes until about a year ago. Shortly after the Foxxconn stories became widespread and after I began checking the facts with other outside sources on Foxxconn and other companies realized what was happening there and saw Steve Jobs BS at D8 I threw my iPod touch/classic in the trash and deleted itunes. Your comment has no merit and only screams desperation.
The handle iHate wasn’t created because I hate apple products, because I don’t, it was created because of users on here. You see many people come on COM and other Apple based sites to read reviews etc before buying a product or just to simply learn more information about the Apple ecosystem. Do you know what the average user whose neither a Apple/Google/Microsoft enthusiasts think of Apple users? They think most Apple enthusiasts are nothing more but hateful people. They have come to think that way due to the low and reprehensible comments made on these threads pertaining to the Foxxconn worker abuse articles. The handle iHate is actually a veiled insult directed towards users such as iPad2, freerange and others of his ilk.
In your above post you used the words lame and stupid. I suggest you take stock on whats going on around you my friend. In my eyes having an Apple/Google/Microsoft/insert name here can’t do any wrong attitude is most lamest and stupidest attitude someone can have especially when it involves knowingly ignoring human rights issues for cheaper priced gizmo’s.
eh transy! oh I mean transvestite! it’s official now and we all know you ARE transvestite.
WAH CHU TALKIN’ ‘BOUT? TRANSY!!!
just like the little “Arnold” used to say, eh???
Blah, Blah, Blah…
What an ass!?!?… hahaha…
WAH CHU TALKIN’ ‘BOUT? TRANSY!!! … LMAO…
As opposed to the CEO of Tokyo Electric (?), the company who owns the benighted reactors. My relatives in Japan tell me that he is nowhere to be seen and hardly ever heard. Some nameless spokesman flack is doing all the talking.
Have you lived in a third world country? Have you experienced life as a peasant toiling away in subsistence agriculture? Have you experienced poverty to the point that you can’t guarantee yourself three or even one meal a day? If not then don’t judge what goes on in Chinese factories based on your experience growing up in an advanced industrialized economy.
I am not saying working at Foxconn is a picnic in Disneyworld, that there are no abuses and that a few workers have suffered greatly because of it. But for most of the factory workers at Foxconn, life there is actually far better than the life they left in the rural, agricultural interior of China.
China is a labor-surplus developing economy, someday that surplus will disappear and the workers will gain more bargaining clout and their conditions will improve greatly.
If you really care for the abused workers in the third world, then keep buying goods built there so that the demand for surplus workers exceeds the supply and their wages and working conditions then begin to improve.
If you say you won’t buy Chinese-made goods because you want to help the factory workers, sure go ahead and help them right out of a job and back into subsistence farming.
Effing ignorant, self-righteous hypocrite, parroting 1st-world feel-good touchy-feely stupid nonsense.
sorry can’t hear you….You have to take that cock all the way out of your mouth. Be sure to spit out the jizz too fuck head.
Well here’s somebody else who has absolutely no idea what he’s talking about. Considering you know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about my background or where I come from you have some nerve beeping off like some self righteous ass. Do you know if my family originally came from a 3rd world country? Do you even know if my family originally came from a rural agricultural background? The answer is NO you don’t so STFU and stop putting your foot in your mouth because my family did. If you had taken the precious five minutes of your time and bothered to read further down the thread you would have seen I don’t want those jobs leaving China what I want is better working conditions for those workers. Your post is completely fail and mute.
Next time you pick a fight with someone try knowing what the fuck you’re talking about. Unlike you I’ve experienced what it’s like to be stuck in that kind of system and didn’t live my life in suburbia with my thumb stuck up my ass. Ignorant parasitic money grabbing whore.
Oh man, OH MAN!!! Shit is goin down here!
There’s only one hater here. It’s you
Pavlov’s dog
If Apple don’t give Foxconn job to do so What Foxconn worker eat? Apple is Foxconn client. If you want to blame then blame Foxconn not Apple. U r such an idiotic and ignorance.
iHater is stupid bastard after all…
U ofcoz don’t understand because you r an idiot and stupid.
if you take a step back from all these rage and take a rationale look at ihate comment, he has a point actually, not to say he is completely right, but he actually make sense. Apple isn’t directly related to foxconn BUT nevertheless, they are involved and could do something about it but simply won’t. Maybe investing 10 million dollars to improve the SOL, you might think it would be ridiculous and no companies/business man would do that but in actual fact, it benefits both parties in the long run
So you’re saying you know how to talk properly with a cock in your mouth? Good to hear you’re so talented
Hey asshole go fuck yourself
I don’t think so, that f**king idiot doesn’t know from a BIG COCK up his ass to a BIGGER COCK in his mouth, all that transvestite knows is “WAH CHU ‘TALKIN ‘BOUT” or just blabbering that stink mouth of his with my cum in it. hahaha… LMAO!
NO! YOU “iHate…” YOU GO F**CK! Yourself…hahaha!
little man!
Oh no wait! GIRLY MAN!…. LMAO
Dude get that cock out of your mouth already.
WTF did you just type? Someone needs some lessons in proper grammar
Just type BAHHHHHHHH little iSheep
Ask your mom about getting a big cock up the ass. Apparently she’s like the railway tracks she gets laid all over the country.
HE THINKS WE ARE ALL STUPID