Big, popular company with secrecy issues
Big, popular company with secrecy issues
If you like Apple products (and you really should if you work at Apple or are considering taking a job at Apple), then it's nice to be working for a company that produces first-in-class products that most anyone can recognize and admire.
Additionally, there is a fairly wide variety of things Apple does, more so than the typical valley company (everything from engineering to retail), so you might get exposed to some interesting facets of the business.
The people are, generally, nice, smart people. Apple employees can often be a bit more passionate and/or opinionated than some at other places I've worked at, but I generally consider this a good thing.
The general benefits are okay – not great, and I've gotten better elsewhere, but I've also certainly gotten worse. The employee discount is okay.
If you're into trendy pop music, you might spot a music star on campus or playing at a beer bash every now and then.
For a big corporate entity, the general secrecy policy really can work against the efficiency of the company. Apple still manages to make it work, but from what I've seen, things could be so much smoother if people were allowed to be more open with information. Mind you, I'm talking about within the company itself - yes, I've been in plenty of situations where employees in different departments are not allowed to talk directly to each other due to this policy.
Apple tends to be very frugal, for a company with billions in the bank. Salary and equity aside, they don't seem to really hire everywhere that's needed, only on those projects that really have the attention of upper management. Other projects and products, while still producing, suffer from limited resources, and creativity and production is stifled.
There are the usual management hierarchy problems present at any large corporation. At Apple, there tend to be middle managers who have been with Apple a long time, are happy with their lot, and have decided to impede progress for anyone below them. Again, this is typical, but disappointing for a company that claims to 'think different' like Apple.
Open up communication within the company. Otherwise, if trends or management direction ever shift, things are going to get messy.
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Apple Interview Questions
Apple Interview Experiences
Engineer
Phone screen and then a panel interview. It was very technical and challenging. There were lots of questions about previous projects, along with some standard questions about why Apple. I didn't hear back after several weeks. Phone screen and then
Engineer
The all-day interview involved meeting with most of the team, likely across 6 or 7 rounds. I finally spoke with the director at the end. It was an exhausting process due to the sheer number of rounds. Many of the questions were also repeated by the
Engineer
Applied online. Received an email days later requesting a phone interview. Passed the phone interview and was offered the design challenge. Completed the design challenge and then had an interview with the team.
Engineer
Cupertino, California, United StatesApril 3, 2023Phone screen and then a panel interview. It was very technical and challenging. There were lots of questions about previous projects, along with some standard questions about why Apple. I didn't hear back after several weeks. Phone screen and then
Engineer
Cupertino, California, United StatesFebruary 1, 2023The all-day interview involved meeting with most of the team, likely across 6 or 7 rounds. I finally spoke with the director at the end. It was an exhausting process due to the sheer number of rounds. Many of the questions were also repeated by the
Engineer
Cupertino, California, United StatesJuly 1, 2021Applied online. Received an email days later requesting a phone interview. Passed the phone interview and was offered the design challenge. Completed the design challenge and then had an interview with the team.
