“Apple’s first-ever vice president of diversity and inclusion, Denise Young Smith, is leaving Apple at the end of this year, TechCrunch has learned,” Megan Rose Dickey reports for TechCrunch.Young Smith, who has only been in the position since May of this year, previously served as Apple’s head of worldwide human resources for three years.”
“Taking over as VP of inclusion and diversity will be Christie Smith, who spent 17 years as a principal at Deloitte. In her career, Smith has focused on talent management, organizational design, inclusion, diversity and people solutions,” Dickey reports. “At Apple, she’ll report to Apple VP for People Deidre O’Brien, the company announced internally today.”
“Young Smith had been talking with Apple CEO Tim Cook about the next phase of her career and life since about a year ago, according to a source. Over the last few months, Apple has been searching for a successor to replace Young Smith,” Dickey reports. “It’s not quite clear, however, when exactly Young Smith decided she would leave Apple. But based on that timeline, it seems as though Young Smith made up her mind before those comments in Bogotá, Colombia [for which] she later apologized.”
MacDailyNews Take: Um, yeah, okay.
Color us cynical, but the timing is suspect. Starts in May. Makes “controversial” comment in October. Apologizes soon thereafter. Out before year end. Or, of course, it could all simply be coincidental.
Regardless of this particular case, we get the feeling there’s a whole lotta spinnin’ goin’ on nowadays from a whole lot of people and far-flung places. How about you?
“Young Smith’s planned departure from Apple comes shortly after Cornell Tech announced Young Smith would become an executive in residence starting this January.”
MacDailyNews Note: More info: Denise Young Smith is Cornell Tech’s next executive-in-residence
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: That was quick.
SEE ALSO:
Apple diversity chief Denise Young Smith apologizes to staff for statements made at summit – October 14, 2017
Apple’s first ever VP of diversity and inclusion says she focuses on everyone, not just minorities – October 11, 2017
Apple’s new Vice President of Inclusion and Diversity will report directly to CEO Tim Cook – May 24, 2017
Apple’s board has urged shareholders to reject proposal to tie executive compensation to racial diversity quotas – February 27, 2017
Apple Inc. fights shareholders group demand for more diversity – February 15, 2017
Apple touts diversity of recent hires – August 3, 2016
Apple inches toward workforce diversity – January 20, 2016
Diversity report shows Apple’s U.S. workforce still mainly white and male – January 19, 2016
Apple’s Board of Directors says a call for diversity is ‘unduly burdensome and not necessary’ – January 15, 2016
Apple leads Facebook, Intel, Cisco, Google on gender diversity among Bay Area companies – November 17, 2015
Apple’s latest diversity report shows progress – August 13, 2015
Tim Cook is ‘personally involved’ in improving diversity at Apple Inc. – July 14, 2015
Apple donates over $50 million to diversity efforts – March 10, 2015
Apple CEO Tim Cook met privately with Jesse Jackson regarding diversity – December 9, 2014
Apple adds Vice Presidents, more diversity to Executive Leadership Team – August 15, 2014
A message from Apple CEO Tim Cook on diversity – August 12, 2014
Jesse Jackson calls on Obama to scrutinize tech industry’s ‘lack of diversity’ – July 28, 2014
Tim Cook: Apple will release diversity data ‘at some point’ – July 9, 2014
Jesse Jackson targets tech’s lack of diversity; sends letter to Apple, Google, HP, others – March 19, 2014
Apple changes bylaws after facing criticism about lack of diversity on board – January 9, 2014
Rather than hiring another diversity manager, use the money to hire a few more engineers who can actually do some real work. Just sayin’
The president is revoking the visas for those who truly have talent because “they are taking American jobs.” So, apparently the hire the best person for the job model is not working. Hence, diversity managers. It’s the pendulum. Swing too far to the left and it will swing too far to the right. Swing too far to the right and it will swing too far to the left. Balance and compromise are what is needed. Not ridiculous positions to respond to ridiculous politics.
Yup, I hate that I work at a university that has that “checkbox”. It benefits me since I am mexican, but I am still against it as it is not only unfair but I also feel like it just makes it seem like some of us only get hired to fill that checkbox and sadly that is true in many cases.
If we are going to have quotas to fill it should only be for veterans/reservists.
Right, there’s no need for Apple to worry about diversity.
It’s not like their headquarters is in a country where the Chief Executive can brag—on videotape—about grabbing women by the genitals and still be elected. It’s not like Apple’s CEO grew up in a state where the governing party is standing firmly behind its nominee who felt between a 14-year-old’s legs over her panties. It’s not like one of them bragged that when you are rich and powerful, “they let you do it,” or the other used his authority as a felony prosecutor to suppress complaints.
No, it is obvious that women are completely equal in our society and don’t need special protection. After all, the polls show that a majority of white males feel that they are singled out for discrimination. That’s probably why, on average, a white defendant who is charged with the same offense under the same circumstances as a black defendant gets a sentence that is 20% shorter. /s
Before all the whataboutism begins—yes, what Weinstein, Clinton, and Franken did was reprehensible. Absolutely. They should pay for it. However, not one of them tried to argue that their conduct was acceptable. They did their best to cover it up, not brag about groping women and dating underage girls with their mothers’ permission.
While all this is going on, yes, Apple does need somebody to promote equality in the workplace.
Congratulations for rising to the challenge – some really fine hair splitting was required on that one.
Which part of the definition of sexual assault do you all not understand? Are you not bothered by the Alabama officials who insist they would rather vote for a pedophile, even if it is proved, than for a Democrat? What has this country come to?
The train left the station…oh…back in the 90’s on that one. Party trumps (npi) sex crimes. Too late to change the rules. Pedophile rapists can get standing ovations in Hollywood…IF they toe the right lines and don’t forget the more recent Lolita Express.
Well I don’t know the definition keeps changing from day to day so the goal posts and target keeps moving.
She was the best person for the job. She expressed belief in the diversity of thought. Wisely she realized that a room full of white people can have diversity of ideas. For not towing the line and touting the diversity of skin color and genitalia and where you like to put your genitals, as is championed by Cookiewuss and the rest of Apple, she was fired.
Guess she wasn’t PC enough.
or
Her diverse opinions were not in lock-step with upper management. That’d be my guess.
How about a diverse range of MacPros? I think Apple has bigger problems than diversity
What a fcuking joke of a position. How about a VP of Good Ideas…or VP of Work Ethic…or VP of Doing a Good Job. When has “diversity” ever been a measurement criteria of success. It’s not. Motivated, good people and good products define success. Not some idea that I don’t have enough brown, black, white, yellow people. Stupid SJW liberal agenda gone amuck. Forced Diversity is a liberal mental disease
VP of Success, VP of Peace & Good Wil,. VP of “Non-Quota Fairness,” VP of Can’t We All Get Along, VP of Appearances/Image. I could go along, but for the sake of diversity, I’ll let the next person opine.
Have seen this in so many global companies.
Its a box ticking position. As in Apple can “We are a diverse company becuae we have a VP of diversity”
1 token black woman does not make a company have diversity.
Like other people have said, Apple should focus on empolying talented people that work on the products and services – someone as VP of diversity will not enable the company to sell 60 million iPhone 11s next year but a team of designers and engineers with vision and talent creating amazing solutions will!
Never had a real job. Her’s was nothing but a publicity stunt. Apple was merely protecting its image by hiring a person to administer a nonfunctional department tasked with releasing feel good libtard mob jumbo to placate the masses. After a while, she discovered this for herself.
Never had a real job? She was Apples worldwide head of HR. Sounds like a pretty real job.
HR? — not a real job.
Nothing “human” about Human Resources either. Their sole job is to represent the company executives and mitigate any risk by firing/silencing employees before they become too much of a burden.
If Apple cared about its employees Apple would hire an outside firm to manage employee complaints, issues of managerial abuse, failure to pay, etc. HR departments are often the smiling Gestapo agents charged with protecting corporate interests and public face at the expense of workers.
Exactly. That proves King Kahn’s point.
I wonder if the next VP of Inclusion and Diversity will be hired based on their merit or whether or not they are ‘diverse’ enough?
Pretty sure the person definitely won’t be white, well unless they are gay or transgender then that would be ok for the liberals….smh
The whole point of having a ‘VP of diversity’ headed by a ‘person of color’ is to stave off lawsuits by people like Jesse Jackson. When she said a group of white males could also be ‘diverse’ I knew she was done for.
Once a racistt, always a racist. Good for Apple she is gone.
Nobody his saying it but everybody knows she is being dumped for the truth she spoke.
Actual (but now ironic) transcript of Big Brother’s speech from Apple’s famous ‘1984’ ad:
“Today we celebrate the first glorious anniversary of the Information Purification Directives. We have created for the first time in all history a garden of pure ideology, where each worker may bloom, secure from the pests of any contradictory true thoughts. Our Unification of Thoughts is more powerful a weapon than any fleet or army on earth. We are one people, with one will, one resolve, one cause. Our enemies shall talk themselves to death and we will bury them with their own confusion. We shall prevail!”