In a Leaked Memo, Apple Warns Employees to Stop Leaking Information • Hacker News Board

Re: In a Leaked Memo, Apple Warns Employees to Stop Leaking Information

#241

Post by mygo » Sat, Apr 14, 2018, 7:01 PM UTC

chongli wrote: post #219

IBM wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can come up with plausible reasons for why intelligence leakers do what they do (sense of duty, serving public interest, etc). I can't come up with any for an Apple employee. The leaks an Apple employee makes is about inconsequential stuff like what features the next iPhone will have. It's not even in the same ballpark as someone who is leaking something illegal going on at the company or someone at Facebook leakin…

Perhaps Apple employees get tired of not being able to talk about what they do at work in social settings. Leaking provides an outlet so that their friends and family might have an idea of what they're up to. It's still sort of an ego thing, but having to hold your tongue at parties can get really exhausting.

So what do you do?

option A: “I’m working on really cool / inconsequential shit. But I can’t tell you about it. Maybe we can catch up next year and I can tell you what I did”

option B: “I work at Apple”

option C: just stay home.

Re: In a Leaked Memo, Apple Warns Employees to Stop Leaking Information

#242

Post by mygo » Sat, Apr 14, 2018, 7:04 PM UTC

jlgaddis wrote: post #146

walshemj wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Its Money one of the classic reasons to leak

Are media organizations like 9to5mac (mentioned in Apple's memo) paying Apple insiders for the information they provide? Personally, I wouldn't think that the leakers were getting paid. Even if they were, I imagine the amount that these particular online web sites are able to pay is very much -- especially when compared to the average Apple employee's salary. This makes me think that money isn't the primary motivatin…

seeing something that you said show up on the front page of a popular website... and knowing that it was you and only you, with your underutilized expertise in your under appreciated role, that made that possible...

you can’t really buy that

Re: In a Leaked Memo, Apple Warns Employees to Stop Leaking Information

#243

Post by ggg9990 » Sat, Apr 14, 2018, 7:06 PM UTC

jadedhacker wrote: post #37

yodon wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I’ve never understood what the employee gets out of it The intelligence services have done a great deal of research into the persona of the press leaker/Wikileaks leaker (as distinct from the more traditional espionage leaker). A common trait is for the press leaker to be either highly over-qualified for their job or believe themselves to be over-qualified for their job. The belief coming out of that research is a s…

I'm a little skeptical. The intelligence services would say something that would make you skeptical of the motivations of leakers. If they're selfishly motivated the public doesn't mind them being locked up and put into isolation and tortured in ways that don't leave a mark. The leakers that come to mind immediately are Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning whom both suffered greatly for their leaks (Snowden had to leav…

Snowden became one of the most famous people in the world, and a hero to millions, and a villains to millions. Without knowing his personal utility function it’s hard to say whether he feels that this was a net positive for him, but some people care deeply about their legacy and “going down in the history books.”

Re: In a Leaked Memo, Apple Warns Employees to Stop Leaking Information

#244

Post by michaelmrose » Sat, Apr 14, 2018, 7:09 PM UTC

lern_too_spel wrote: post #231

michaelmrose wrote: post #215

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You call someone who threw away their future,their peace of mind, and any hope of a normal life to expose wrongdoing a coward for not also throwing away his life. " If he truly did it for the good of the world, he'd turn himself in because of the reward he has already gotten by sharing information he felt like the world needed." This is offensively manipulative nonsense. Wanting to avoid being thrown in a hole and to…

He ran to Hong Kong and immediately leaked a list of compromised Chinese computer systems to the SCMP. He wanted protection from the Chinese government, but he didn't get it. Instead, he ended up getting protection from Putin.

Do you have a citation for the chinese matter?

Re: In a Leaked Memo, Apple Warns Employees to Stop Leaking Information

#245

Post by dpkonofa » Sat, Apr 14, 2018, 7:34 PM UTC

fjsolwmv wrote: post #199

IBM wrote: post #2

Somewhat ironic that this memo got leaked but I think in this case it actually serves their purpose for it to be read by everyone (including potential employees). I think this part is key and is something I've always wondered about: >While it may seem flattering to be approached, it’s important to remember that you’re getting played. The success of these outsiders is measured by obtaining Apple’s secrets from you and…

That's funny wording because Steve Jobs management philosophy was all about "playing" his employees and partners, to extract world-changing inventions for minimal compensation.

Source?

Re: In a Leaked Memo, Apple Warns Employees to Stop Leaking Information

#246

Post by dpkonofa » Sat, Apr 14, 2018, 7:37 PM UTC

lawnchair_larry wrote: post #187

millstone wrote: post #175

Earlier quoted context omitted.

TouchID and FaceID come to mind.

Both of those were on other phones before Apple did it.

The technology used on both of those was not on other phones before Apple did it. "Face recognition" and "fingerprint scanning" are not the same thing as "Face ID" and "Touch ID".

Re: In a Leaked Memo, Apple Warns Employees to Stop Leaking Information

#247

Post by valuearb » Sat, Apr 14, 2018, 7:37 PM UTC

cromwellian wrote: post #140

stouset wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a huge advantage in your competitors not knowing what your focus is, particularly if you're working on something out of left fields. The more you can hide from them, the more of a head start you can have over them.

Does Apple have a head start on most things they do? Most observers acknowledge they aren't usually the first to do something, rather, they're good at execution and polish. They were beaten to market on pretty much everything: watches, bezelless displays with notch (e.g. Essential Phone), smart/speakers (Amazon, Google, Sonos), Streaming/TV (Roku, Amazon, Chromecast), etc. Really, I think the world would be better if…

If they told the world that the solution for touch screen phones failing in the market was this little idea called the “proximity sensor”, Google would have beaten them to the market with Android and the iPhone would be far less successful.

Apples success is built on unique inventions, in design, software and hardware. They rarely are first to market in any category. They are almost always first to market with the first mass market useful combination of features in those categories.

Re: In a Leaked Memo, Apple Warns Employees to Stop Leaking Information

#248

Post by dpkonofa » Sat, Apr 14, 2018, 7:42 PM UTC

cromwellian wrote: post #194

fastball wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Which phone had actually usable/secure fingerprint auth before the iPhone?

The fingerprint sensor made by Authentec, was the centerpiece of a Motorola Moto X1 and slated to be in Google's Nexus 6 before Apple bought their supplier, effectively preventing the release. That's why those devices were released with a dimple where the fingerprint sensor was going to be, even though there was nothing in that spot where the finger rests. That is to say, TouchID capacitive fingerprint scanning was g…

Source?

Literally the only Google results for a search regarding Authentic and the Moto X1 is this thread and your comment.

Re: In a Leaked Memo, Apple Warns Employees to Stop Leaking Information

#249

Post by dpkonofa » Sat, Apr 14, 2018, 8:17 PM UTC

valuearb wrote: post #247

cromwellian wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does Apple have a head start on most things they do? Most observers acknowledge they aren't usually the first to do something, rather, they're good at execution and polish. They were beaten to market on pretty much everything: watches, bezelless displays with notch (e.g. Essential Phone), smart/speakers (Amazon, Google, Sonos), Streaming/TV (Roku, Amazon, Chromecast), etc. Really, I think the world would be better if…

If they told the world that the solution for touch screen phones failing in the market was this little idea called the “proximity sensor”, Google would have beaten them to the market with Android and the iPhone would be far less successful. Apples success is built on unique inventions, in design, software and hardware. They rarely are first to market in any category. They are almost always first to market with the fi…

Except that wasn't at all what Android was when the iPhone was released. Android was still a Blackberry clone at that period in time due, in part, to the secrecy surrounding the technology in the iPhone.

Re: In a Leaked Memo, Apple Warns Employees to Stop Leaking Information

#250

Post by dpkonofa » Sat, Apr 14, 2018, 8:22 PM UTC

pcwalton wrote: post #210

brianpan wrote: post #197

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can also go to prison for insider trading. Is this also too onerous for you? What reason is there for leaking information about the company you are currently working for?

I think the tone is heavy-handed. Leaking can happen accidentally--for example, by leaving an iPhone in a bar--and sending the message that this could result in criminal prosecution doesn't seem good for morale. Of course, every employee at Apple knows the culture of the company, so it's not like it should be any surprise.

>Of course, every employee at Apple knows the culture of the company, so it's not like it should be any surprise.

I used to work at Apple (both at the retail stores and briefly in Cupertino) and, out of all the jobs I've had, it's still my favorite corporate culture. It's the only company where I felt like I wasn't just a number. It wasn't uncommon for opportunities to open up for people all throughout the company and, as long as you weren't stealing or doing something else (like leaking info) that could harm the company, there seemed to be a mutual respect between upper management and even low-level employees.