Apple, NDA's & Penalties

Those of you who are frustrated with NDA's I share the frustration.

But nothing is kept so close to the vest that isn't a big deal.

Apple doesn't take kindly to leaks.


Fast Company

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports on a memo recently sent to all Apple employees stating that 29 Apple people were caught leaking secrets about planned products last year, and 12 of them were arrested. The memo describes in stark terms the implications for employees who leak and get caught: “These people not only lose their jobs, they can face extreme difficulty finding employment elsewhere,” says product marketing executive Greg Joswiak in the memo.

The memo lays out examples of times when whole product announcements have been spoiled by leaks to the media. The main facts about the iPhone X and the Apple Watch 3 had been leaked to the media before the splashy launch event, leaving Apple executives to go through the motions of delivering big surprises from the stage. Apple says leaked information can depress sales of existing product models, and give competitors more time to respond to features coming in future models.  “We want the chance to tell our customers why the product is great, and not have that done poorly by someone else,” the memo says.