It seems like senior executives at big tech firms are finding it difficult to not engage in situations where they can"t conduct themselves properly. We recently learned that Microsoft"s HoloLens head Alex Kipman has departed the company following reports of workplace misconduct and now, an Apple vice president has been let go because of some crude remarks they made in a viral TikTok video.
Bloomberg reports that Apple"s vice president of procurement Tony Blevins was approached by TikTok content creator Daniel Mac. As a part of his ongoing series where Mac asks owners of expensive cars what they do for a living, Blevins responded to the same question in a rather indecent fashion:
I have rich cars, play golf and fondle big-breasted women, but I take weekends and major holidays off.
The exchange - where the response is based on the 1981 movie Arthur - went viral on TikTok and Instagram, which resulted in members of Blevins" team expressing anger and reporting the incident to human resources. Following an investigation, Apple has decided to part way with Blevins, with decision reportedly being taken by the firm"s Chief Operating Officer (COO) Jeff Williams, who Blevins directly reported to.
In a statement to Bloomberg, Blevins noted that:
I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely apologize to anyone who was offended by my mistaken attempt at humor.
Blevins has been described as a crucial member of Apple"s procurement strategy and was known as "The Blevinator" at the company for drastically reducing the acquisition costs on components for Apple"s hardware and other deals with suppliers. The former executive had spent 22 years at Apple and was one of the 30 people who report either to CEO Tim Cook or COO Jeff Williams. For now, Williams will lead Blevins" team, which consists of over 100 members.
Source: Bloomberg