AI Expert Who Moved from Google to Apple Resigns, Saying "I Can't Accept the Three-Day-a-Week Office Policy"
[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bo-kyung] The British daily The Times reported on the 10th (local time) that an Apple executive resigned in protest against the introduction of a three-day-a-week attendance policy.
According to the report, Ian Goodfellow (35), Apple's director in charge of 'machine learning,' recently sent an email to colleagues stating, "I am resigning because CEO Tim Cook insists that workers in the US, UK, and Europe work collaboratively in person." He also wrote, "I firmly believe my team should operate more flexibly."
Goodfellow is a globally renowned artificial intelligence (AI) expert, and The Times described his resignation as a significant loss for Apple, which had scouted him from Google in 2019. He is famous for developing a system at Google that automatically finds addresses from photos taken by Google Maps' Street View.
According to Apple's hybrid work plan, effective from the 23rd, employees must come to the office on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Employees may work remotely for four consecutive weeks per year depending on circumstances, during which they only need to come to the office one day per week.
However, Goodfellow believes that even this three-day attendance policy is too rigid an organizational operation. The Times reported that the three-day system is somewhat stricter compared to other Silicon Valley IT companies like Meta and Airbnb. Airbnb allows employees to work remotely at their discretion and does not differentiate wages even if they work from abroad.
Hot Picks Today
"Stocks Are Not Taxed, but Annual Crypto Gains Over 2.5 Million Won to Be Taxed Next Year... Investors Push Back"
- "Even With a 90 Million Won Salary and Bonuses, It Doesn’t Feel Like Much"... A Latecomer Rookie Who Beat 70 to 1 Odds [Scientists Are Disappearing] ③
- "Who Is Visiting Japan These Days?" The Once-Crowded Tourist Spots Empty Out... What's Happening?
- "Am I Really in the Top 30%?" and "Worried About My Girlfriend in the Bottom 70%"... Buzz Over High Oil Price Relief Fund
- "It Has Now Crossed Borders": No Vaccine or Treatment as Bundibugyo Ebola Variant Spreads [Reading Science]
At Apple, CEO Cook sees the need for a work method where employees work together in the same time zone and is actively promoting changes to the work system. In a memo sent to employees last year, he stated, "We were able to achieve a lot while working apart," but added, "Since last year, we have been missing something essential. That is being together."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
