Apple is known for its super strict policies when it comes to its unreleased products, and exactly how the details about them are put out to the public. These policies apply to Apple employees, but if the latest instance is to be believed, then also to their kids.
When an Apple employee’s daughter, Brooke Amelia Peterson, visited her father at the Apple campus, little did she know that her seemingly innocent hands-on video of the yet-to-be-shipped iPhone X will be picked up by major tech websites, and also get her father a termination letter from the company.
Peterson published a video earlier this week in which she showcased the iPhone X in all its glory. Evidently, the video went viral, bringing the attention of Apple authorities to what the teenager did. At the time of writing, the video has 309,992 views on YouTube through an unofficial channel, and there are other channels too which have picked up the video. In the video, the father is also seen showing off the Apple campus to his daughter, along with giving a peek into how Apple Pay works on the iPhone X.
What particularly stands as a violation of Apple’s policies is that the footage not only revealed the unreleased device, but it contained special employee-only QR codes. A Notes app, which appeared to include codenames of unreleased Apple products, was also shown in the video. It is worth noting that filming on Apple campus is prohibited, and the bigger violation here is the iPhone X.
According to The Verge, Apple reportedly requested Peterson to remove the video, but it appears that it was too late as the video had already spread. In a separate video, Peterson explains how her father violated an Apple company rule by allowing her to film the unreleased handset at Apple’s campus. She claims her father has been fired as a result of her video. “I had no idea this was a violation,” she says.
The dismissed Apple engineer had worked at the company for around four years, building the iPhone RF and wireless circuit design.