Former Apple ads engineer Antonio Garcia Martinez said Apple was “well aware” of his writing before it hired him, and accused the company of defamation in its recent statement regarding his firing.
In a Twitter thread on Friday, Garcia Martinez said that “Apple actively recruited me for my role on the ads team, reaching out via a former colleague to convince me to join.”
“I upended my life for Apple. I sold my WA residence which I built with my own hands, relocated myself, shut down any public media presence and future writing aspirations, and resolved to build my career at Apple for years to come,” he wrote.
The former Facebook ads manager and author of “Chaos Monkeys” was fired on Wednesday after employees began circulating a petition demanding an investigation into his hiring. The employees were concerned about statements Garcia Martinez had made about women and people of color in his book and in interviews.
According to Garcia Martinez, Apple was aware of his book when hiring him. He said that his references were “questioned extensively about my bestselling book and my real professional persona (rather than literary one).” He added those references were willing to confirm that under oath.
Additionally, Garcia Martinez said that a statement Apple issued after his firing “clearly implies there was some negative behavior by me during my time at Apple.” He called that “defamatory and categorically false.”
On Wednesday, Apple said in a statement to Bloomberg that it strives “to create an inclusive, welcoming workplace where everyone is respected and accepted.” It added that “behavior that demeans or discriminates against people for who they are has no place here.”
Apple hired Garcia Martinez in April to serve as an engineer on its ad technology team.
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