Sell your soul: Good pay, terribly toxic - Product Design Engineer Apple Employee Review

2.0
12 Jan 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good pay Allure of working for "Apple" because of Steve Job's legacy and high quality products Good food at caffe Macs Apple product discounts

Cons

Absolutely toxic. This company will eat your soul and spit it back at you, at least in hardware engineering. Management collectively uses fear and shame-based motivation. Team members are expected to present frequently to large groups with lots of shame and hostility toward people who either do not have certain expected tasks complete, have not made proper judgment calls, do not have the full depth of analysis that is expected, etc even when one is burning themselves out working over 65 hrs a weak to try to keep up. As a DRI (directly responsible individual) you own everything and are expected to do everything, even though management may tell you that "some things can fall through the cracks". When you complain about "quality of life", they pretend to hear you, but will immediately try to convince you that you are wrong. The management actively gas-lights people when they complain, contributing the lack of time or bandwidth that one has to their own time management issues. Working here is like actively living in an insane asylum. There is no social life, it's just awkward, no one is encouraged to talk or socialize, just to get your work done. Pay is the only thing that keeps people here. For several years I have worked until 11-p or as late as 4am consistently for 4 days a weak, Fridays ending early sometimes as early as 6pm. I've seen people with children do this years on end, they have no life. The question is why? Is your true sense of self value derived so deeply from this work? It probably shouldn't be. But that's what Apple wants you to believe, "do your life's work here".

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5.0
23 June 2026
Recommend
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Pros

Great place to work at!

Cons

Was micromanaged and they track your stats all the time

4.0
28 Aug 2014
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

We work with geniuses - in every department, We create innovative products that thrill our customers and create new product categories - who else can say that?

Cons

ZERO ZERO ZERO work/life balance. Execs have been saying for YEARS that they understand and will make it better. But in actuality, it gets worse every year! It is obviously top management LIP SERVICE because if they meant it, they could fix it tomorrow. They have hundreds of BILLIONS in the bank. If they REALLY cared about employee work/life balance, they could bring aboard the right number of folks to make that issue dissolve. Sick of hearing the lies. Just don't lie about wanting to fix it, when they clearly DON'T care

1501
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