Cher Scarlett, a software engineer who became the public face of an employee protest movement over pay transparency and more flexible working conditions, announced Wednesday she is leaving the company at the end of the week. Scarlett was part of a burgeoning movement called #AppleToo, created to change Apple’s culture.
“Friday is my last day at Apple,” Scarlett said in a tweet Wednesday, adding that she’s going to take some time deciding what’s next for her.
The senior-level software engineer attempted to organize an internal employee compensation survey, publicized worker complaints and helped draft an open letter to CEO Tim Cook criticizing working conditions.
Scarlett was one of two Apple employees who filed complaints against the company in September, alleging unfair labor practices, including a claim that management “engaged in coercive and suppressive activity that has enabled abuse and harassment” of workers organizing.
Scarlett’s departure comes after she reached a settlement with Apple, according to a report by Bloomberg.
The complaints come as the tech giant faces a wave of employee activism in recent months. In August, employees criticized Apple’s move to scan US customers’ iPhones and computers for images of child sex abuse, worrying it could lead to censorship or arrest by repressive governments. In July, employees began circulating an internal petition pressing executives for more flexible working conditions as the company began laying out post-lockdown return-to-work polices.
Apple didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
