Apple’s top AI exec, Ian Goodfellow, will leave the company due to Apple remote work policy.
It’s no secret that Apple is planning to return to the office since the virus was manageable. However, as it happens for other big tech companies, most employees prefer to quit or a pay cut to stay remote.
Ian Goodfellow is a peculiar case. The top Apple AI exec started in March 2019. He was the Director of Machine Learning in the Special Projects Group. But after debating with the company, Goodfellow left his position because of Apple’s remote work policy.
According to Schiffer, Goodfellow said: “I believe strongly that more flexibility would have been the best policy for my team.” And he added: “Here we are, the smart people that you hired, and we are telling you what to do: Please get out of our way, there is no one-size-fits-all solution, let us decide how we work best, and let us do the best work of our lives.”
Apple tried numerous strategies to bring back employees to the office. However, several record-breaking quarters happened when people were working remotely. And most employees ask why they have to come back to the office full-time.
The case of Goodfellow is a crucial example to question remote work policies and office culture. After over two years of the pandemic, most people got used to the flexibility and different work schedule. Companies need to re-think their structure to attract better talent – and keep them!
