Apple engineer resigns after being asked to return to office

Team Udayavani, May 11, 2022, 10:53 AM IST

Due to a decline in Covid cases in various regions of the world, offices that had been shuttered for more than two years were reopened. After being called back to work, many employees resigned from their positions.

While many people are looking forward to working from home again, the other half are opposed to it because they believe it reduces productivity, eliminates flexibility, and wastes too much time on other activities such as travel.

Ian Goodfellow, Apple’s Director of Machine Learning, agreed. He resigned from Apple after being asked to return to work.

Zoe Schiffer of The Verge tweeted, “Ian Goodfellow, Apple’s director of machine learning, is leaving the company due to its return to work policy. In a note to staff, he said “I strongly believe that more flexibility would have been the best policy for my team.” He was likely the company’s most cited ML expert.

Apple’s hybrid work philosophy affected Ian’s decision to leave the firm. Employees were obliged to work from the office at least one day per week by April 11, two days per week by May 2, and three days per week by May 23 under the new work rules. Beginning May 23, Apple has urged its staff to return to work at least three days a week. However, some Apple employees are dissatisfied with the company’s new strategy.

Apple employees wrote a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook expressing their concerns about returning to work.

“Without the inclusivity that flexibility brings, many of us feel we have to choose between either a combination of our families, our well-being, and being empowered to do our best work, or being a part of Apple. This is a decision none of us take lightly, and a decision many would prefer not to have to make,” the employees wrote in an email to Cook.