Apple is well-known for keeping things a secret and under wraps before they’re revealed to the public, but company leadership hasn’t been happy with how often Apple employees are leaking information to the press. In a memo that Bloomberg got their hands on, Apple managed to catch 29 individuals — employees, supply chain partners and contractors — who had leaked information last year and apparently 12 of them were arrested.
“Leakers do not simply lose their jobs at Apple. In some cases, they face jail time and massive fines for network intrusion and theft of trade secrets both classified as federal crimes,” memo reads.
The memo, which was posted on an internal blog, sends a warning to company employees about becoming too close to bloggers and journalists. “While it may seem flattering to be approached, it’s important to remember that you’re getting played,” said Apple. “The success of these outsiders is measured by obtaining Apple’s secrets from you and making them public.” Regarding these situations, Apple says that staffers have “everything to lose” if they were to give in.
“The impact of a leak goes far beyond the people who work on a project,” Apple argues. “Leaking Apple’s work undermines everyone at Apple and the years they’ve invested in creating Apple products.” The memo ends on a note from executive Greg Joswiak. “Everyone comes to Apple to do the best work of their lives — work that matters and contributes to what all 135,000 people in this company are doing together,” he said. “The best way to honor those contributions is by not leaking.”
