Apple Fired a Prominent Organizer of the #AppleToo Movement

Apple has fired Janneke Parrish, a program manager and leader of the #AppleToo movement, for deleting files from her company devices during an internal probe, according to The Verge. The tech company has been investigating multiple employees suspected of leaking internal memos and documents to the press.

Parrish’s termination comes as Apple employees are organizing and sharing stories of workplace discrimination, sexual harassment, verbal abuse and issues of unequal pay on the #AppleToo website and on the publishing platform Medium. As one of the leaders of the #AppleToo movement, Parrish told NPR she believes her firing was in retaliation for workers organizing and speaking out against the tech giant’s company culture.

“This is retaliation. I have been one of the most visible members of #AppleToo. I know the risk of doing that,” she said. “I see a consistent pattern when each of the members of #AppleToo are subjected to investigations or Apple leadership approaches them. There has been a pattern established.”

Per The Verge, this is the second instance in recent months that an Apple employee has been terminated after sounding off about how the company conducts business. Senior engineering program manager Ashley Gjøvik was fired in September after allegedly leaking confidential information and violating company rules. For months now, Gjøvik has been posting about privacy concerns, workplace safety and harassment she experienced by her manager on her Twitter. She has since filed multiple charges with the National Labor Relations Board, the latest alleging Apple CEO Tim Cook’s anti-leaking memo, which stated “people who leak confidential information do not belong” at Apple, violates U.S. labor laws.

Apple spokesman Josh Rosenstock told NPR that Apple is dedicated to creating and preserving an inclusive work environment.

“We take all concerns seriously and we thoroughly investigate whenever a concern is raised and, out of respect for the privacy of any individuals involved, we do not discuss specific employee matters.”