By KR Nambiar
The management of Apple has fired around 15 employees for allegedly misusing company infrastructure.
The happenings coincided with the exit of Alok Sharma, the MD of Apple’s India business, who headed the company’s operations in the country for almost five years.
Sharma did not acknowledge the happenings, and said that his exit had been planned earlier, with a successor named. “I am going out on amicable terms with the management. I had a great time at Apple, where business has grown from just $10 million, when I took over, to around $100 million now. I was lucky that during my time we introduced some of the best technologies and products. This is one great company to work for.”
Sharma said he was leaving to pursue dreams outside Apple. He is credited with Apple’s successful retail strategy, its partnership with Reliance Digital, and the restructuring of the company’s distribution business.
The news of the Apple management firing a team that performed beyond expectations has shocked many.
“Some of the employees have been sharing music and video files, and storing them in a server in our office. The Apple management has not taken this lightly because the company has strong views on file sharing since it’s a champion of the digital rights management lobby. To the best of my knowledge, no one really indulged in any specific activity beyond sharing some files,” said an employee who has been asked to resign. “Many of us who didn’t have a clue what was going on have been asked to go.”
Sharma refused to comment on the issue, and said he was not aware of such happenings.
His exit has surprised the channel community. Noting that his departure might come as a surprise to many partners, Sharma advised them that they should continue working with Apple because the vendor has big plans for the days ahead. |