Company: Apple
Date: 2021-04-20
Overall rating: 2/5
Employment status: former
Experience level: Junior

Fake Promotions, Department Mergers, and Bad Management
Pros: Apple seemed like a dream when I arrived. It was peak iPhone and the company was growing rapidly. The stock was doing well, it seemed like there was a lot of possibility to move up, and people generally had a positive attitude. New buildings were beautiful and the food was cheap and tasty.
Cons: There was a dark side. The food got more expensive and to order it, you had to install a profile that gave Apple full access to your iPhone. Fake promotions, bad managers, rotations or "career experiences" for what should have been actual positions (all about saving money). Apple is good at making profit off their own employees. Product discounts were the same as educators, 25% is not great. Also, I knew 3 people who committed suicide and one guy who became jaundiced and stopped coming to work because he died. The worst part was the cold response from management. Also if you get one of those "fake promotions," know that HR definitely does not have your back. A manager can actually tell you to your face during an internal interview that a position is a promotion with a raise, but then you make the move and find out it's lateral and there's no consequence for the manager who baited you with the false promise. These sorts of practices were quite common for me and others and it seemed most were happy to put up with it because it was Apple and they didn't know better. Always ask the position and number when you interview, get as much in writing as possible, and realize that a positive performance review will not equate to an increase in pay despite the company's cash situation. The kool-aid is strong here, so keep things in perspective. You are a number. You are disposable. If you give 2 weeks notice, that's actually your final day.