Apple says it parted ways with recent hire Antonio García Martínez, an ex-Facebook staffer and author, after employee petition citing “misogynistic statements”
unless a woke mob forms a boycott campaign, in which case termination shall be immediate. Heidi N. Moore / @moorehn : I have seen the “woke mob” discourse around a man who literally wrote a book saying repeatedly how women are conniving and useless and wow, Silicon Valley, you have a lot of work to do. Shenetworks / @serenatalkstech : Omfg. Can we weed out these assholes already? I'm sick of working with them. https://twitter.com/... Cher Scarlett / @cherthedev : And we were just doing the housekeeping, just like was asked of us. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/... Brianna Wu / @briannawu : I've met a lot of overtly sexist people over my career. But Antonio Garcia Martinez's statements about women put him in the 1 percent. Apple employees deserve real answers about how he was hired in the first place. Franklin ‘Two Jabs’ Harris / @franklinh3000 : I also question Apple's hiring practices, as they seem to have hired a lot of babies. https://twitter.com/... Hadjar Homaei / @xeegeex : He wouldn't organize a petition to deprive them of their livelihood, just drive them away one by one in silence. This is what men don't understand about systematic discrimination. https://twitter.com/... David Sacks / @davidsacks : @fmanjoo This is disingenuous. His views and outspokenness were well known at the time he was hired. The question is whether employees should be fired without due process because of a pressure campaign. I realize this is how HR works at NYT so you may not see anything wrong with it. @devonbl : Never underestimate the power of thousands of “entitlement feminists” 🥰 I'm so proud to work with so many of you 🥰 Apple is hiring for tons of roles all over the world including this one that was just posted! https://jobs.apple.com/... Michael Paulauski / @mike10010100 : The “effect” here is misogyny and sexism in the industry. No thanks. https://twitter.com/... Amy Alkon / @amyalkon : OMG. This is terrible. I don't care what Antonio Garcia Marquez said about women — & frankly, I'm unwounded by what he did say, bc I'm not some oversensitive lady pantywad. You should NOT be fired or unemployable bc the mob is upset about your opinions. https://www.theverge.com/... https://twitter.com/... Heather Kenny / @heatherkenny : One of the guys defending him literally calls himself a “nice guy” in his Twitter bio, and that is just too perfect. Also, imagine this guy had said similar things about an ethnicity or race. It wouldn't be acceptable. Why is it OK to say this stuff about women then? https://twitter.com/... Farhad Manjoo / @fmanjoo : @DavidSacks are you saying hiring decisions shouldn't take into account previous published work by the candidate? That seems like an extreme form of government control over companies. Heidi N. Moore / @moorehn : Just a big statement of support for all the Apple employees who rose up and got a petition started about the kind of workplace they want, and the kind of values they expect from a corporation, and succeeded. Iconic, all of you. Heidi N. Moore / @moorehn : Imagine you are a woman at Apple working with Antonio Garcia Martinez. He has institutional power. He's your boss. He controls your responsibilities, promotions and time off. Also, he thinks women are mostly weak and just baby incubators. How do you think that goes? Show yr work. Melissa McEwen / @melissamcewen : > Apple did not say what exactly García Martínez' position was, but sources said he was hired for a lower-level engineering role and started last week. That's the weird part to me. Why would a financially well off senior FANG employee take a lower level eng role? https://twitter.com/... Saikat Chakrabarti / @saikatc : @paulg We turned down many people at Stripe for saying much less. It doesn't matter if someone is a ‘good guy.’ Many good guys don't get hired. It's a bad idea to hire people who say things for shock value, especially if those things alienate half the population. Heidi N. Moore / @moorehn : @paulg What you're missing, Paul, is that he didn't have a livelihood if he couldn't do the job because was going to discriminate against women (as he has always done.) Secondly, it was Apple's decision to fire him, and surely you agree a company can choose who to hire and fire. Paul Graham / @paulg : @saikatc So you feel, in a world of properly run companies, he should never work again? Mathew Ingram / @mathewi : Also, how is “but I was just pretending to be a misogynist and racist to get laughs” any kind of defense? Shira Ovide / @shiraovide : Maybe the next people Apple interviews for an advertising post will say...what if you just didn't do this? https://www.theverge.com/... Chris Vickery / @vickerysec : García-Martínez needs to wire up live webcams and microphones in every room of his house broadcasting publicly, or shut his lying mouth on issues of privacy. He could not be more wrong on this. https://twitter.com/... David Lublin / @davidlublin : I am really glad Apple got rid of this guy so quickly after outcry but really begs the question of why he was hired in the first place when you look at quotes like this that completely contradict Apple's own stance on privacy. https://twitter.com/... Paul Hudson / @twostraws : It's not often we see Apple employees take a collective stand on something, but when they do *damn* do they get results fast 🙌 https://twitter.com/... Steph / @onalark : The thing about Apple Hire Guy is that he wrote those things — in a published book — and never expected repercussions. In fact, he wrote them thinking they'd improve his standing, positioning, and pay in Silicon Valley. And worse, he's right. Michael Gartenberg / @gartenberg : I started reading Antonio García Martínez (borrowed from library) & the guy really is reprehensible. I find it hard to believe he made it through the hiring, vetting & interviewing process without raising a red flag. Bottom line, actions have consequences & so do words. @eitanshay : @paulg I've worked with @antoniogm. At fb. He is one of the good ones. He may be colorful. But never have I ever witnessed anyone being uncomfortable around him on the personal level. He is paying the ultimate price for essentially, having a big mouth. He is smart and talented. Zoë Schiffer / @zoeschiffer : Antonio García Martínez is no longer working at Apple. His Slack account was deactivated this afternoon. Then his team was pulled into an emergency meeting where the news was confirmed. https://twitter.com/... Eade / @eade_bengard : If you guys think this is sexist, you should hear about the time Apple welcomed the creative mind behind “bitches ain't shit” to their team. https://twitter.com/... @rmac18 : I don't think shifting racial demographics is the reason buddy https://twitter.com/... Scoble / @scobleizer : How quickly we forget that Steve Jobs was a far worse asshole than the guy that Apple fired yesterday. Times are changing. Cupertino used to be all white when I was growing up. Now Silicon Valley is like the United Nations. No I can't get hired by the new Apple either. Lainna Fader / @lainnafader : Actual accountability, all too rare! https://twitter.com/... Heidi N. Moore / @moorehn : Genuinely surprised that a company listened. I spoke up because he could be a danger to the mental health of women in the workplace. All my admiration to the Apple employees that mobilized so fast and effectively to stand up for diversity and safety. https://www.theverge.com/... Gabbi Fisher / @gabbifish : The person who wrote this book—which is interlaced with SO MUCH misogyny—was recently hired at Apple and it's horrifying. If you work there, please DM me and I can link you to an open letter and petition related to this man's hiring https://twitter.com/... Heidi N. Moore / @moorehn : Let's not leave out his absolutely incredible email about his own narcissistic excellence after I blocked him for abusive behavior. Imagine someone like this sending emails to women at Apple @tim_cook https://twitter.com/... Timnit Gebru / @timnitgebru : Hmm. Meanwhile at Google, HR ppl said I had an “agenda” to “get rid of some people” when I talked about this type of behavior, then they decided they should get rid of me instead of those ppl so.... https://twitter.com/... Nilay Patel / @reckless : That was fast https://www.theverge.com/... Lukasz Olejnik / @lukolejnik : New Apple hire has some extraordinary opinions on the topic of user privacy. I wonder how they go along Apple's (said) privacy priorities? https://twitter.com/... Mathias Verraes / @mathiasverraes : Get used it to it people: if Apple does it, others will follow. The mindset is changing: having to work with misogynists or racists is no longer “normal”. Having them in your company is a liability now. https://www.theverge.com/... @della_morte_ : Keep in mind this man will almost certainly land in another cushy highly paid corporate job in the next month when everyone starts bleating about how this was “cancel culture” in action depriving him of his livelihood. https://twitter.com/... Thanks: @inafried
AxiosIna Fried
Context & Ripple Effects
Apple’s rapid response to an employee petition became contested almost immediately when García Martínez publicly said he had been fired rather than having mutually separated from the company in a public account disputing Apple’s description of his exit. The episode puts employee organizing, hiring judgment and external corporate messaging on the same timeline.
The later accounts from current and former female Apple staff alleging apathy or retaliation across multiple departments make the hiring dispute more than an isolated personnel controversy: it became an early test of whether internal complaints would alter company decisions.
First-order effects
García Martínez lost his recent Apple role, while the petitioning employees secured a concrete response to their objections.
Apple’s public characterization of the departure faced a direct challenge from García Martínez, extending the matter from an internal hiring decision into a reputational dispute.
Second-order effects
Apple managers and recruiters face greater internal scrutiny over whether candidates’ public writing and past conduct fit the company’s workplace expectations.
Employee organizers gain evidence that collective complaints can affect personnel decisions, increasing pressure on Apple to address subsequent workplace concerns credibly.
Third-order effects
If employee petitions repeatedly determine outcomes at major technology employers, hiring and retention decisions will increasingly be treated as workplace-governance issues rather than management-only choices.
The later reports of misconduct-claim handling suggest that decisive action in a high-profile case may raise expectations for consistent processes across departments, not just responses to public employee outcry.
The trend: Employee activism is becoming a material force in technology-company hiring, workplace accountability and public reputation management.
How angry Apple employees' petition led to a controversial new hire's departure
@paulg
Paul Graham on x
Antonio García Martínez is actually a good guy. He might write the occasional shocking thing for effect, but he'd never, for example, organize a petition to deprive someone of their livelihood.
@devonbl
@devonbl on x
It's so exhausting being a woman in tech; sitting opposite men who think because of my gender, I am soft and weak and generally full of shit. It's not even worth it to say I have worked relentlessly for every accomplishment I have https://twitter.com/...
@markgurman
Mark Gurman on x
Antonio García Martínez, a newly hired engineer on Apple's ads team, is gone from Apple after employee backlash regarding sexist comments he made in his book Chaos Monkeys, company says. Employees have been incredibly angry about his hire and questioned Apple's hiring practices.
@nikitabier
Nikita Bier on x
We will be burning copies of Chaos Monkeys this afternoon outside the Apple labor camp in the Xinjiang province. DM for details.
@micsolana
Mike Solana on x
no one thought chaos monkeys was sexist until a handful of woke asthmatics decided to invent the grievance. their message was amplified by a tech press that hates antonio because he's an apostate ex-journalist who often criticizes them, which is what this is all actually about. h…
@bstulberg
Brad Stulberg on x
@paulg Tough to think you'll get a job in tech (or any woman would want to work with you) after you go on record with this. Unless this is cooked and he never wrote it, I don't feel particularly bad for him. https://twitter.com/...
@moorehn
Heidi N. Moore on x
My favorite was one guy who wrote something like “if we had to fire everyone who said sexist things, we'd have a lot of firing to do.” Correct! You're so close to getting it!
@davidsacks
David Sacks on x
Some of the most intolerant people in the world control the most powerful platform in the world. There should be constraints on their power to discriminate against Americans because of their views. https://twitter.com/...
@zebulgar
Delian on x
America's most critical innovation center, Silicon Valley, is being strangled to death by a woke & intellectually intolerant mob The message is clear. Speak out of line, even in a Thompson-style book like @antoniogm did & you will be fired Terrible!!! https://www.theverge.com/...
@gartenberg
Michael Gartenberg on x
Granted this guy seems to be a jerk on his personal views but should that affect his employment & future? At what point does mob rule decide who they get to work with if a person's private views aren't brought to the workplace? This is a little disconcerting to me. https://twitte…
@kane
@kane on x
Does... does Apple know what the founder of the headphone company they acquired has written? 🤔 https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@davidsacks
David Sacks on x
In the interests of fairness and transparency, our HR department will follow carefully documented processes with respect to employee hiring, firing, and performance — unless a woke mob forms a boycott campaign, in which case termination shall be immediate.
@moorehn
Heidi N. Moore on x
I have seen the “woke mob” discourse around a man who literally wrote a book saying repeatedly how women are conniving and useless and wow, Silicon Valley, you have a lot of work to do.
@serenatalkstech
Shenetworks on x
Omfg. Can we weed out these assholes already? I'm sick of working with them. https://twitter.com/...
@cherthedev
Cher Scarlett on x
And we were just doing the housekeeping, just like was asked of us. https://twitter.com/... https://twitter.com/...
@briannawu
Brianna Wu on x
I've met a lot of overtly sexist people over my career. But Antonio Garcia Martinez's statements about women put him in the 1 percent. Apple employees deserve real answers about how he was hired in the first place.
@franklinh3000
Franklin ‘Two Jabs’ Harris on x
I also question Apple's hiring practices, as they seem to have hired a lot of babies. https://twitter.com/...
@xeegeex
Hadjar Homaei on x
He wouldn't organize a petition to deprive them of their livelihood, just drive them away one by one in silence. This is what men don't understand about systematic discrimination. https://twitter.com/...
@davidsacks
David Sacks on x
@fmanjoo This is disingenuous. His views and outspokenness were well known at the time he was hired. The question is whether employees should be fired without due process because of a pressure campaign. I realize this is how HR works at NYT so you may not see anything wrong with …
@devonbl
@devonbl on x
Never underestimate the power of thousands of “entitlement feminists” 🥰 I'm so proud to work with so many of you 🥰 Apple is hiring for tons of roles all over the world including this one that was just posted! https://jobs.apple.com/...
@melissamcewen
Melissa McEwen on x
> Apple did not say what exactly García Martínez' position was, but sources said he was hired for a lower-level engineering role and started last week. That's the weird part to me. Why would a financially well off senior FANG employee take a lower level eng role? https://twitter.…
@mike10010100
Michael Paulauski on x
The “effect” here is misogyny and sexism in the industry. No thanks. https://twitter.com/...
@amyalkon
Amy Alkon on x
OMG. This is terrible. I don't care what Antonio Garcia Marquez said about women — & frankly, I'm unwounded by what he did say, bc I'm not some oversensitive lady pantywad. You should NOT be fired or unemployable bc the mob is upset about your opinions. https://www.theverge.com/.…
@heatherkenny
Heather Kenny on x
One of the guys defending him literally calls himself a “nice guy” in his Twitter bio, and that is just too perfect. Also, imagine this guy had said similar things about an ethnicity or race. It wouldn't be acceptable. Why is it OK to say this stuff about women then? https://twit…
@fmanjoo
Farhad Manjoo on x
@DavidSacks are you saying hiring decisions shouldn't take into account previous published work by the candidate? That seems like an extreme form of government control over companies.
@moorehn
Heidi N. Moore on x
Just a big statement of support for all the Apple employees who rose up and got a petition started about the kind of workplace they want, and the kind of values they expect from a corporation, and succeeded. Iconic, all of you.
@moorehn
Heidi N. Moore on x
Imagine you are a woman at Apple working with Antonio Garcia Martinez. He has institutional power. He's your boss. He controls your responsibilities, promotions and time off. Also, he thinks women are mostly weak and just baby incubators. How do you think that goes? Show yr work.
@saikatc
Saikat Chakrabarti on x
@paulg We turned down many people at Stripe for saying much less. It doesn't matter if someone is a ‘good guy.’ Many good guys don't get hired. It's a bad idea to hire people who say things for shock value, especially if those things alienate half the population.
@moorehn
Heidi N. Moore on x
@paulg What you're missing, Paul, is that he didn't have a livelihood if he couldn't do the job because was going to discriminate against women (as he has always done.) Secondly, it was Apple's decision to fire him, and surely you agree a company can choose who to hire and fire.
@paulg
Paul Graham on x
@saikatc So you feel, in a world of properly run companies, he should never work again?
@mathewi
Mathew Ingram on x
Also, how is “but I was just pretending to be a misogynist and racist to get laughs” any kind of defense?
@shiraovide
Shira Ovide on x
Maybe the next people Apple interviews for an advertising post will say...what if you just didn't do this? https://www.theverge.com/...
@vickerysec
Chris Vickery on x
García-Martínez needs to wire up live webcams and microphones in every room of his house broadcasting publicly, or shut his lying mouth on issues of privacy. He could not be more wrong on this. https://twitter.com/...
@davidlublin
David Lublin on x
I am really glad Apple got rid of this guy so quickly after outcry but really begs the question of why he was hired in the first place when you look at quotes like this that completely contradict Apple's own stance on privacy. https://twitter.com/...
@twostraws
Paul Hudson on x
It's not often we see Apple employees take a collective stand on something, but when they do *damn* do they get results fast 🙌 https://twitter.com/...
@onalark
Steph on x
The thing about Apple Hire Guy is that he wrote those things — in a published book — and never expected repercussions. In fact, he wrote them thinking they'd improve his standing, positioning, and pay in Silicon Valley. And worse, he's right.
@gartenberg
Michael Gartenberg on x
I started reading Antonio García Martínez (borrowed from library) & the guy really is reprehensible. I find it hard to believe he made it through the hiring, vetting & interviewing process without raising a red flag. Bottom line, actions have consequences & so do words.
@zoeschiffer
Zoë Schiffer on x
Antonio García Martínez is no longer working at Apple. His Slack account was deactivated this afternoon. Then his team was pulled into an emergency meeting where the news was confirmed. https://twitter.com/...
@eitanshay
@eitanshay on x
@paulg I've worked with @antoniogm. At fb. He is one of the good ones. He may be colorful. But never have I ever witnessed anyone being uncomfortable around him on the personal level. He is paying the ultimate price for essentially, having a big mouth. He is smart and talented.
@eade_bengard
Eade on x
If you guys think this is sexist, you should hear about the time Apple welcomed the creative mind behind “bitches ain't shit” to their team. https://twitter.com/...
@rmac18
@rmac18 on x
I don't think shifting racial demographics is the reason buddy https://twitter.com/...
@scobleizer
Scoble on x
How quickly we forget that Steve Jobs was a far worse asshole than the guy that Apple fired yesterday. Times are changing. Cupertino used to be all white when I was growing up. Now Silicon Valley is like the United Nations. No I can't get hired by the new Apple either.
@lainnafader
Lainna Fader on x
Actual accountability, all too rare! https://twitter.com/...
@moorehn
Heidi N. Moore on x
Genuinely surprised that a company listened. I spoke up because he could be a danger to the mental health of women in the workplace. All my admiration to the Apple employees that mobilized so fast and effectively to stand up for diversity and safety. https://www.theverge.com/...
@gabbifish
Gabbi Fisher on x
The person who wrote this book—which is interlaced with SO MUCH misogyny—was recently hired at Apple and it's horrifying. If you work there, please DM me and I can link you to an open letter and petition related to this man's hiring https://twitter.com/...
@moorehn
Heidi N. Moore on x
Let's not leave out his absolutely incredible email about his own narcissistic excellence after I blocked him for abusive behavior. Imagine someone like this sending emails to women at Apple @tim_cook https://twitter.com/...
@timnitgebru
Timnit Gebru on x
Hmm. Meanwhile at Google, HR ppl said I had an “agenda” to “get rid of some people” when I talked about this type of behavior, then they decided they should get rid of me instead of those ppl so.... https://twitter.com/...
@lukolejnik
Lukasz Olejnik on x
New Apple hire has some extraordinary opinions on the topic of user privacy. I wonder how they go along Apple's (said) privacy priorities? https://twitter.com/...
@reckless
Nilay Patel on x
That was fast https://www.theverge.com/...
@mathiasverraes
Mathias Verraes on x
Get used it to it people: if Apple does it, others will follow. The mindset is changing: having to work with misogynists or racists is no longer “normal”. Having them in your company is a liability now. https://www.theverge.com/...
@della_morte_
@della_morte_ on x
Keep in mind this man will almost certainly land in another cushy highly paid corporate job in the next month when everyone starts bleating about how this was “cancel culture” in action depriving him of his livelihood. https://twitter.com/...
@markgurman
Mark Gurman on x
Apple says “we have always strived to create an inclusive, welcoming workplace where everyone is respected and accepted. Behavior that demeans or discriminates against people for who they are has no place here.”
@gassee
Jean-Louis Gassée on x
OK, good, quick reaction. Now, How come he got hired, vetted? You know the one cockroach theory. How many such bad hiring decisions? https://twitter.com/...