The New York Times interviewed several current and former Apple employees, including those working in the mobile and security division, and found their thoughts to resemble Apple’s argument against the Department of Justice’s demands — that it infringes on their freedom of speech. The controversy erupted after a court ordered the Cupertino company to create a backdoor for the FBI to access the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone.
Although it would be a stunning act of civil disobedience if Apple’s engineers refused to cooperate, it’s not like they would be out of a job for good if they quit working at Apple, as Apple’s former senior product manager told The New York Times.
“If someone attempts to force them to work on something that’s outside their personal values, they can expect to find a position that’s a better fit somewhere else,” Window Snyder said, now the chief security officer at Fastly.
If Apple lost the case and was forced to create “GovtOS,” and its employees quit left and right, it may have a hard time completing that task — which means the FBI would be in a conundrum as well.
“It’s an independent culture and a rebellious one,” said Jean-Louis Gassée, a former engineering manager at Apple, said to The New York Times. “If the government tries to compel testimony or action from these engineers, good luck with that.”
Should the time come for Apple to create a team to build “GovtOS,” Apple’s employees apparently already have a “good idea” on who those defecting employees will be. Of course, if Apple wins, it may never come to that.
The hearing is scheduled for March 22, a day after Apple’s media event that will showcase the company’s highly-anticipated new products.
Editors' Recommendations
- Here are the best Dolby Atmos movies for your home theater
- The best Amazon original series available now
- The 50 best shows on Netflix right now
- Best free Kindle books in Spanish
- What the biggest tech companies are doing to make the 2020 election more secure
