Being a manager can be like working in a mad house - Software Engineering Manager Apple Employee Review

4.0
28 Feb 2013
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Very smart people, 95% of them super dedicated to the company. Amazing products that the world loves. Feels great to work someplace where you can be so proud of what you are creating and under such a recognizable brand. People are pushing technologies not for the latest fad but for rational reasons. I loved, loved, loved working with so many smart engineers who knew their stuff, and who demanded the best from others. Campus has a great energy, food and other benefits are great.

Cons

There are some sociopathic managers at this company who I observed trying to manipulate others just for the pleasure of cruelty. There are some deeply insecure managers holding grudges and trying to get revenge for perceived slights. Honestly, the politics of this place were overwhelming to me. Maybe only 20% of the managers were what I would call "sick minds", the rest were honest and sincere, but it was too much for me. I can't play those sorts of games and I had to get out. Sometimes you don't even know that you are playing a game until afterwards. This is an old company and has a lot of legacy code around. Being innovative often means ignoring glaring problems that have been around for 5 - 10 years. That is kind of painful if you care about quality. I saw some happy managers and I concluded in the end that it was luck of the draw. If you got thrown into the lion pit you might escape or might get torn to shreds. Some managers never got thrown into the lion pit and were able to do well, so if you are considering working there you may get lucky. No one is going to help you out, though. Definitely better to be an engineer than a manager at Apple, IMO.

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5.0
8 Jun 2026
Anonymous employee
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Pros

Compensation, location and work-life balance

Cons

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4.0
28 Aug 2014
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

We work with geniuses - in every department, We create innovative products that thrill our customers and create new product categories - who else can say that?

Cons

ZERO ZERO ZERO work/life balance. Execs have been saying for YEARS that they understand and will make it better. But in actuality, it gets worse every year! It is obviously top management LIP SERVICE because if they meant it, they could fix it tomorrow. They have hundreds of BILLIONS in the bank. If they REALLY cared about employee work/life balance, they could bring aboard the right number of folks to make that issue dissolve. Sick of hearing the lies. Just don't lie about wanting to fix it, when they clearly DON'T care

1500
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