Apple has been recently caught in a racism scandal after a group of black students were refused entry to an Apple Store in Melbourne, Australia. Since the incident, Apple CEO has made an apology on behalf of the staff involved and of the company, stating that the incident does not represent the company’s values.
Apple Store Racism Scandal: The Video, Ironically, Was Taken with an iPhone
The group of students, all 10th graders at Maribyrnong College, recorded the incident with an iPhone, where a store staff and security can be clearly heard saying that they’re worried the kids ‘might steal something’, which is met with shock by the students.
The video hit social media outlets under the caption ‘Simply Racism’, and went viral instantly. It was shown in news broadcasts as well, which led to one of the students being interviewed. The student further clarified that the staff at the Apple Store stated that they were concerned that the group of kids would cause trouble and steal something.
Since the Apple store racism incident, the company has made a statement apologizing for the incident. Additionally, Tim Cook sent out an email to the employees involved ordering that they be retrained on customer engagement and inclusion practices. The email, which was later on leaked to the press, also states that the views expressed in the video do not represent Apple’s beliefs or values.
Tim Cook Calls Apple Store Racism Incident ‘Unacceptable’
Tim Cook added that this Apple Store racism scandal is unacceptable and doesn’t align with Apple’s values in the least. Cook assured that appropriate measures would be taken against this, and that the footage he saw and words he heard were ones he nor any Apple executive wants to hear.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OmG7Dls3fgw
