In leaked memo, Tim Cook says leakers do not belong inside Apple

Following leaks about his all-hands Apple meeting about pay equity, Tim Cook has told staff that the company does not "tolerate disclosures of confidential information."

Immediately after Apple's Sept. 17 all-hands meeting, Tim Cook's comments were leaked to the press. Subsequently, Cook issued a memo about his "frustration" at how confidential meetings, and product news, are being leaked.

That email has now also been leaked. It includes Cook saying that whether it's regarding a private meeting, or is a leaked detail about a product, "people who leak confidential information do not belong here."

The full email, as first seen by The Verge, reads:

Dear Team,

It was great to connect with you at the global employee meeting on Friday. There was much to celebrate, from our remarkable new product line-up to our values driven work around climate change, racial equity, and privacy. It was a good opportunity to reflect on our many accomplishments and to have a discussion about what's been on your mind.

I'm writing today because I've heard from so many of you were were incredibly frustrated to see the contents of the meeting leak to reporters. This comes after a product launch in which most of the details of our announcements were also leaked to the press.

I want you to know that I share your frustration. These opportunities to connect as a team are really important. But they only work if we can trust that the content will stay within Apple. I want to reassure you that we are doing everything in our power to identify those who leaked. As you know, we do not tolerate disclosures of confidential information, whether it's product IP or the details of a confidential meeting. We know that the leakers constitute a small number of people. We also know that people who leak confidential information do not belong here.

As we look forward, I want to thank you for all you've done to make our products a reality and all you will do to get them into customers' hands. Yesterday we released iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and watchOS 8, and Friday marks the moment when we share some of our incredible new products with the world. There's nothing better than that. We'll continue to measure our contributions in the lives we change, the connections we foster, and the work we do to leave the world a better place.

Thank you,

Tim

Cook's claim that Apple is "doing everything in our power" to identify leakers is not new. As far back as 2012, Cook said that Apple was going to "double down" on secrecy and protecting its information.

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26 Comments

mike1

said about 2 years ago

Regarding the product leaks, I would think that the late stage product leaks are partially the result of needing to record all the presentations well in advance. That requires far more people to be involved than the in-person events. It all needs to be rehearsed, recorded, edited, reviewed and approved before the launch day. Many more people involved increases the likelihood of both intentional and accidental leaks.

DAalseth

said about 2 years ago

I’m guessing someone couldn’t resist the irony about a confidential memo about the problem with leaks, getting leaked.

Hopefully the person who did that is still smiling when they’re looking for a new job.

rob53

said about 2 years ago

It amazes me how many people just can’t keep their mouths shut. During initial employment you sign a standard document saying you won’t disclose company information. How difficult is it to abide by the rules? I hope Apple throws the book at these people.

tedz98

said about 2 years ago

New product secrecy and IP are clearly very important to Apple. But Apple’s success has created a demand for advance product information unlike any other in any industry. A whole industry of predicting Apple’s product strategy has developed over the years. In many ways that’s a measure of just how successful Apple has been. Of course it’s not just the fan boys who want inside information. It’s also the Wall Street crowd. But Tim has to be careful. Creating a corporate culture that’s so locked down in the interest of protecting information can in fact stymie innovation, communication and colleagueality. I think leaks need to be an accepted reality of life at Apple. “Doubling down” is just a heavy hammer threat that may or may not produce the desired outcomes and could have unforeseen negative consequences. Apple needs to grow its disinformation capabilities vs. trying to plug all the leaks in the organization. As far as preventing the leaking of internal organizational information/emails/meeting notes, that too is mission impossible. In an organization with 150k employees you will never succeed in preventing external data transfer. You’ll never have 150k happy employees. So there will always be disgruntled staff who feel a need to share internal information with outsiders as a way of seeking retribution. Perhaps internal communication needs to be segmented and true open communication is an unattainable dream. Tim needs to manage to this reality.

mike1

said about 2 years ago

tedz98 said:

New product secrecy and IP are clearly very important to Apple. But Apple’s success has created a demand for advance product information unlike any other in any industry. A whole industry of predicting Apple’s product strategy has developed over the years. In many ways that’s a measure of just how successful Apple has been. Of course it’s not just the fan boys who want inside information. It’s also the Wall Street crowd. But Tim has to be careful. Creating a corporate culture that’s so locked down in the interest of protecting information can in fact stymie innovation, communication and colleagueality. I think leaks need to be an accepted reality of life at Apple. “Doubling down” is just a heavy hammer threat that may or may not produce the desired outcomes and could have unforeseen negative consequences. Apple needs to grow its disinformation capabilities vs. trying to plug all the leaks in the organization. As far as preventing the leaking of internal organizational information/emails/meeting notes, that too is mission impossible. In an organization with 150k employees you will never succeed in preventing external data transfer. You’ll never have 150k happy employees. So there will always be disgruntled staff who feel a need to share internal information with outsiders as a way of seeking retribution. Perhaps internal communication needs to be segmented and true open communication is an unattainable dream. Tim needs to manage to this reality.

There's a world of difference between rumors, speculation and guessing about Apple's plans based on various sources, suppliers and past history and an employee leaking specific, information about products in the weeks before a launch. There is no excuse for that nor should there be acceptance or tolerance of those leaks.