“Chris Cox, Facebook’s chief product officer, is forcing an untold number of Facebook employees to drop their iPhones for Android phones,” Tim Lahan reports for Wired. “‘I am mandating a switch of a whole bunch of my team over to Android, just because people, when left up to their own devices, will often prefer an iPhone,’ Cox said yesterday during a briefing with an unusually large collection of reporters, many at Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, California, and many others watching via online video from locations in other parts of the world.”
“No, Facebook has not developed some sort of vendetta against Apple. Nor is it compelled to suddenly endorse the products of arch-rival Google. This is a practical decision,” Lahan reports. “Though the iPhone may be the preferred device in Silicon Valley, Facebook now serves over 1.5 billion people across the globe, and a vast swath of these people—especially newer users in emerging markets—use the social network on Android phones.”
“As Facebook seeks to reach ever more people around the world, Cox says, he wants a good portion of his team on the world’s most popular mobile platform ‘so that they can be reporting bugs and living in the same experience that most Facebook users experience today,'” Lahan reports. “And that’s merely the latest push. Earlier this week, Facebook told the press it had created what it calls ‘G Tuesdays.’ Every Tuesday, when they arrive at Facebook’s Disneyland-like headquarters and open their own Facebook apps, employees will see a message asking if they’d like their app to behave as if was on the rather slow 2G connections that drive the Internet in other parts of the world.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: In related news, Purina today forced an undisclosed number of employees to put down their forks, push back from the lunch table, get down on all fours, and start eating dog food straight from the bowl.
SEE ALSO:
Poor man’s iPhone: Android on the decline – February 26, 2015
Study: iPhone users are smarter and richer than those who settle for Android phones – January 22, 2015
Why Android users can’t have the nicest things – January 5, 2015
iPhone users earn significantly more than those who settle for Android phones – October 8, 2014
Yet more proof that Android is for poor people – June 27, 2014
More proof that Android is for poor people – May 13, 2014
Android users poorer, shorter, unhealthier, less educated, far less charitable than Apple iPhone users – November 13, 2013
IDC data shows two thirds of Android’s 81% smartphone share are cheap junk phones – November 13, 2013
CIRP: Apple iPhone users are younger, richer, and better educated than those who settle for Samsung knockoff phones – August 19, 2013
Personal phones? or phones paid for by Facebook?… (work phones)
If it’s their personal phones, that would be a lawsuit.
It’s not unusual for companies to mandate people’s personal lives. For example, Henry Ford required all of his employees to not drink, and if they did drink they were fired as he felt alcohol would affect their work performance. The few that tried to sue lost as the company working contract for his amazing way above average salary could dictate certain aspects of their personal lives.
While it may be a lawsuit in your eyes, it doesn’t mean you would win. If someone said “Hey, I have a job paying you 6 figures, you just have to sign this specific contract” then the choice is and was yours and you weren’t forced into it as long as it’s within the guidelines of the work contract and as long as the contract terms aren’t illegal. I doubt there is a law prohibiting employers from having their employees choose a specific phone just like there are no laws that prevented corporations from mandating who their employees vote for during the last election.
It wasn’t illegal then, it IS now.
You want me to suffer with Android, YOU give me the android crap. Will not have my personal cell phone be a virus/malware/Identity theft magnet.
If you went to work for a company (or worked there for years) and they say you MUST now purchase a camper to live on their lot.. (spend YOUR money) or you will be fired… sorry Labor laws prohibit that. If the EMPLOYER wants to purchase it and require you to live in it.. thats legal. they can’t force you to purchase it yourself.
Granted you sign a contract saying you will purchase the camper and live there..
They can make you purchase clothing, and certain tools. (there are limits)
But make me only drive a certain brand of car to work? illegal.
Force me to spend MY money to buy personal electronic items? that you ALSO want me to use for work?… illegal.
Again, sign a contract saying that you WILL use your own device for work… different story. (never do that, always separate work and personal)
Once you use your PERSONAL phone for work, it CAN be confiscated/monitored. (Look up the problems with BYOD policies)
Look up privacy laws while you’re at it.
Actually, as disgusting as it is for employers to delve into their employees personal lives, it’s not illegal at all. It’s called ‘at will’ employment. Unless you have a contractual agreement (including union agreement) or are part of a protected group, you can be fired for any reason or no reason at all.
Depends where you live, many states DO require a reason. (Valid reason)
Do the research, privacy laws. You’ll find you are wrong.
I’ve done the research, unfortunately I’m right.
Now, if the information was illegally obtained by your employer, you can press charges, but you’ll still be fired.
Obviously you did the research from your work phone.
http://www.infolawgroup.com/2012/03/articles/byod/the-security-privacy-and-legal-implications-of-byod-bring-your-own-device/
Just one little tidbit that ruins your argument.
http://employment-law.freeadvice.com/employment-law/firing/fired-for-no-reason.htm
Might want to read the exceptions. State/Federal laws get in the way of your argument.
I will say that most states consider employment as “at-will” BUT they have exceptions.
“Now, if the information was illegally obtained by your employer, you can press charges, but you’ll still be fired.”
AHEM….. that would ALSO be illegal.
You do realize that the courts have upheld firings over football teams, who one voted for, etc. The cause…’at will employment’.
In the link you sent (thank you) they specifically said:
-An employee with a contract cannot be fired without cause
So did I…
-An Employee May Not Be Fired for a Reason that Violates Public Policy
Public policy is also akin to a contract, though in my research this is the first time I encountered this.
-Breach of an Implied Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Dealing
A verbal contract…
-Being Fired for No Reason Might Indicate Illegal Discrimination
Protected Groups
-Being Fired in Retaliation for Certain Actions Is Illegal
Such as using workers rights for Family Leave, etc. These are violations of labor law and of course are protected.
The reason I know these things is because, after seven years of working for a company, they wanted me to sign a unilateral non-compete agreement. I refused, after seeing a lawyer for advise. I got away with it, and fired them two years later.
I’ve mainly been talking of the PRIVACY laws, which you STILL have not bothered to read.
and you backed up my point on the firing. (and changed your answer on being fired for retaliation)
And if you are saying you got fired 2 years after not signing a non compete… time frame does not match up, you probably were fired for other reasons.
I said I fired them…
As long as it doesn’t violate any of the standard discrimination laws, I doubt firing someone for any other reason would be denied by the relevant courts located in the city/State of employment.
Wow no wondered he idolised Hitler.
My employer forbids the downloading of snuff vids during work hours. Sucks, I know, but I really need the job.
Uhm, wondered why Michael Savage called Liberalism a mental disorder.
Gee, you think that Facebook message will change to: “Zuckerberg, how about living like 90% of the world and go paycheck to paycheck every week. And no, we’re not talking about multi-million dollar pay checks.”
Gee, don’t you just adore Billionaire Marxists…. You know, like Bill Gates, who came out of the Socialist (media substitute for ‘Communist’ since the sixties) closet today.
This isn’t from The Onion?
Assbook®…where the Fourth Amendment goes to die.
Come on Botty, I told you to get back under your bridge yesterday until you develop some common civilized manners. Your father (who ever he is) is greatly disappointed with you too as is the rest of the internet (with a few exceptions).
you have the lamest schtick on the entire internet.
What a bunch of bullshit! Chris has a future in politics.
They’ve done this before.
From 2012
http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-android-app-employees-2012-8
Facebook Is Basically Forcing Its Employees To Use Android Phones Because Its Android App Is Just Awful
I’m confused by the reaction. I always hate using a product when it is clear the developers don’t use it nearly as much as I do.
So, while I think almost everyone would be better off using an iPhone, there are a lot of Facebook users accessing it via an Android phone, so it’s good for those users if a reasonable number of developers know what that experience is like.
@krioni
IMHO You are absolutely right. I’m as big an apple fan as anyone, but there is nothing about this behavior that’s in anyway anti apple. Facebook is doing this for only a portion of their employees, and acknowledging that iPhone is the preferred platform among their tech savvy employees
Every company needs to have employees experience the products they create in real world use if they want those products to achieve their potential. The bad reactions here are hard to fathom
It’s NOT that it’s Anti-Apple… you are correct.
“So, while I think almost everyone would be better off using an iPhone, there are a lot of Facebook users accessing it via an Android phone, so it’s good for those users if a reasonable number of developers know what that experience is like.”
I agree.
BUT.. the problem lies with forcing employees to PURCHASE and use Android. (If they are making them pay out of pocket for them)
If FB is issuing the employees the android phone for use.. thats 100% fine.
Hear you.
It’s true that the article was unclear about who would be paying, and they did use the word “mandating”.
It would be surprising (and funny) if they actually made their workers go out and buy androids with their own money. 🙂
Not a bad idea. I wish people who wrote web apps would use slower connections so they can feel my experience.
For example: STREAMING SUCKS! and does not work well in my area.
And what about all those sites that work better on one browser than another?
Would be ideal if we all had the same phone, drove the same cars, has the same access to the internet, used the same browser. But we don’t and that is the real world.
I am sure if reality wasn’t what it is then FaceBook would not have done this.
Carrying two phones isn’t all that unusual – years back it was fairly common to spot people with iPhones and Blackberries. It’s an quite a statement though, that Facebook developers prefer iPhones.
It only seems right to force Facebook employees to use a mediocre app like Facebook on a extremely mediocre mobile OS. Perhaps they will realize they work for a mediocre company and if the they stick around long enough, they will become equally mediocre.
So you don’t use Facebook. Fine. Too bad the rest of the world is mediocre due to the fact that they don’t live identical lives to yours. No, I don’t use Android, and they’d have to pry my personal iPhone from my cold, dead fingers. And supply the Android they wanted me to test. But my iPhone and I leave the house and return to it- together.
As someone who does not use Farcebook and have little but contempt for Zuck, I think Farcebook employees and Fandroid deserve each other since both are based upon stolen OP and both data mine the shit out of their victims.
I am an agnostic, but running Farcebook on Fandroid on a 2G connection sounds a little like hell to me.
…just because people, when left up to their own devices, will often prefer an iPhone,’ Cox said yesterday . . . . He wants a good portion of his team on the world’s most popular mobile platform ‘so that they can be reporting bugs and living in the same experience that most Facebook users experience today,’”
I understand. BUT! There is no reason whatsoever for the employees to settle for this.
1) EVERY employee has the right to choose whatever phone they want. Deal with it Facebook.
2) Facebook MUST supply the Android phones to their employees IF they seriously intend the employees to use those phones for WORK related purposes, and they do.
SUMMARY: Facebook MUST buy the Android phones for ALL the employees that will be using them for work purposes. Facebook has NO control over what personal phones employees use, NOT EVER.
IOW:
Great idea to study the suffering of Facebook users on the single most DANGEROUS (I’m into yelling today) phone OS on the planet, Android.
Impossible idea to force any employees to use a phone not of their personal choosing. Not gonna happen. If there is a ‘forcing’ by Facebook, SUE THEM.
Is that redundant enough to penetrate Facebook’s skull?
I work for a large American corporation and I was offered a fully paid-for Android phone (samsung) or I could buy my own iPhone and get 30% off my monthly bill. The decision on which to go with wasn’t even close.
Great MDN Take ®!!
yeah, was good chuckle.
“…just because people, when left up to their own devices, will often prefer an iPhone…”
Just goes to show you that people with a brain will choose iPhone. Chris Cox doesn’t, and doesn’t want anyone else to either. Probably says something about Chris’ intelligence. Just based on how this has been handled (that a report such as this has gotten out), I think we will be seeing more of Mr. Cox, primarily his resume as he tries to find a new job!
Let’s spend a whole bunch of time on resources devoted to customers who have no meaning to our advertisers. Because they are people too, and we don’t care about making a system work for the people who pay our bills.
Fsck Facebook. I dumped it, twit head, linked out, and tumble on down the road. Life sure is better without that crap.
I’m sorry, I wasn’t paying attention….
Did he say the world outside The Valley is bug-infested?
Presumably, Facebook is paying for these phones as they are company phones. Another reason to never tie your personal phone and other devices to work.
Hahaha, 1.5 biilion idiots lining my pockets daily with cold hard cash (can i get a like) and yet this wee shit of a fanboi shitsite cant even generate a lousy few hundred dollars in revenue to pay the fucking rent.lol!! Dumb fucks, thanks for another cold hard $billion in my account all at the prime age of a cool 31yrs old!! Hahaha dumb fuckboys
“I quit!”
Ludicrous argument given the diversity of OSs running on a diversity of handsets. There is no such thing as AN Android phone platform. I worked for an idiot that wasted his and our time trying to force all to use PCs. The vast majority of PCs were desktop systems, waiting for repairs while the Macs, the few we used, NEVER had such a situation – this even before SJ returned to clean things up. FB = FOOLS.
Smells Like Teen Windows.
You can all come down from your high horses…
No constitutional breach here and no reason to start a revolution.
These are company phones. They are paid by the company (As were the iPhones).
FB also introduced 2G thursdays (it I remember well) to remember how it is to use their crap on slow networks.
All in all it’s a good move I think that more companies should make
You should read the posts closer.
The article doesn’t state if they are FB owned phones or not…
It’s 2G Tuesdays (again read the article)
If it IS FB’s phones.. Then most of us have zero issues with them doing that.
If they are requiring the employee to purchase the phones.. As the article does not say one way or the other, parts of it do imply the employees personal phones were used.
My brother in law works for a big Corp, who wanted to make 2 changes.
Company cars would be Chevy Volts…
Company phones would be android.
Vast majority of the employees argued the android part (and won, they kept the iPhones) and after corporate found out they would have to legally PAY to have the Chargers installed in employees homes… Scraped.
They can’t monitor usage on the iPhone, so they have to go Android to have complete control over their own employees.
Orwellian again.
What’s Facebook again?!