Rotten at the Core: How Apple’s Internal Culture Betrays Its Users and Developers

Apple likes to polish its image until it gleams—“Think Different,” they told us, while methodically becoming one of the most controlling, opaque, and adversarial tech titans in history. Behind the clean lines of Cupertino’s glass walls lies a culture of secrecy, suppression, and self-interest that prioritizes power over people. While the public gets slick keynotes and shiny devices, the internal machinery grinds away at innovation, competition, and developer trust.

A Culture of Control, Not Collaboration

Apple’s internal processes reflect a fortress mentality. Information is siloed. Employees are trained not to talk—even to each other—about projects. Former workers have compared it to working for a covert intelligence agency. In a world where collaboration powers progress, Apple remains an empire of paranoia.

Internal documents revealed during the Epic v. Apple trial exposed the company’s disdainful attitude toward developers—the very people who enrich the App Store ecosystem. “We’re going to screw them all,” Phil Schiller reportedly said about app makers. Eddy Cue described developers as a “pain in the ass.” These aren’t offhand remarks—they reveal a deeper contempt ingrained in Apple’s top brass.

The App Store: A Walled Garden with Rotten Roots

Apple claims the App Store is a curated utopia. In reality, it’s a toll booth. Developers are strangled by arbitrary guidelines, punitive rejections, and the infamous 30% cut—what Steve Jobs once called “industry standard,” but has long since become a form of digital taxation.

Apple has used its control of the App Store to crush rivals, favor its own services, and throttle innovation. The company delayed updates from competitors like Spotify and rejected apps like Hey Mail simply because they dared to challenge Apple’s grip on payment systems. Meanwhile, Apple’s own apps get the velvet rope treatment—no surprise inspections, no sudden bans.

Secrecy That Breeds Stagnation

Inside Apple, secrecy isn’t just a tactic—it’s a dogma. Engineers often have no idea what they’re building or why. Departments operate in silos, often only discovering they’re working on the same technology months too late. This tight-lipped culture might prevent leaks, but it also suffocates creativity. Employees walk on eggshells. Mistakes are buried, not discussed. Fear replaces transparency.

Innovation Throttled by Bureaucracy

While Apple still pushes powerful chips and sleek designs, true innovation has slowed. Internally, product decisions are increasingly made by executives disconnected from the engineering trenches. Risk is avoided at all costs. The iPhone’s home screen hasn’t meaningfully changed in over a decade. Siri remains a bumbling voice assistant in a world that’s moved on.

Compare Apple to scrappier rivals like OpenAI or even Microsoft under Satya Nadella—where openness and adaptability have created rapid leaps forward. Apple’s culture is cautious, controlled, and stuck in a loop of incremental updates.

Conclusion: Apple Needs a Hard Reset

Apple’s internal culture—defined by secrecy, arrogance, and control—is the biggest barrier to its future relevance. Behind the curtain, there’s little room for humility or honest feedback. The company that once invited rebels now seems to fear them.

It’s time to hold Apple accountable—not just for anticompetitive practices, but for fostering a culture that treats developers like parasites, employees like liabilities, and users like prisoners in a polished cage.

The apple may still look shiny on the outside—but inside, the rot is spreading.