Apple Fitness Chief Accused of Toxic Workplace Culture and Harassment
Workers say the executive was volatile and retaliated when they cooperated with an investigation. Apple denies the claims.
By Tripp Mickle
Tripp Mickle has written about Apple since 2016.
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Star fitness VP at Job’s Mob allegedly bullied staff and got protected
The Fruity Cargo Cult Apple’s golden fitness guru Jay Blahnik [pictured], once hailed as the genius behind the Apple Watch’s double entendre “Close Your Rings” gimmick, has found himself at the centre of a growing storm over claims of bullying, sexual harassment, and general workplace toxicity.
Blahnik, a former Nike celebrity and author, joined Job’s Mob in 2013 to lead its shiny new Apple Watch fitness features. He quickly earned a messianic reputation inside the company for inventing the three-ring interface that encouraged users to move, stand, and burn calories like good little disciples.
But according to nine current and former employees, behind the pastel-coloured circles was a work environment so unpleasant it pushed more than 10 staff onto medical or mental health leave since 2022.
Staff speaking anonymously for fear of professional blowback told the New York Times: “He could be verbally abusive, manipulative and inappropriate.”
These allegations include everything from crude sexual remarks to public humiliation and sustained retaliation, all of which Apple appeared more interested in covering up than correcting. The outfit investigated the allegations and decided Blahnik could stay. One complaint involving sexual harassment was quietly settled, while a lawsuit by former employee Mandana Mofidi is now working its way through the courts in Los Angeles.
The team’s former social media coordinator Kayla Desautels, said: “I’ve never worked anywhere more toxic. At the end of the day, we don’t matter."
Her time at Apple ended with a mental health leave and resignation.
Despite that, Apple spokesman Lance Lin wheeled out the usual boilerplate about how the company “takes all concerns seriously” and is “committed to a positive and inclusive workplace,” before declaring the allegations riddled with “inaccuracies” without naming which one. He insisted Apple would “continue to share the facts through the legal process.”
Blahnik, now 57, did not respond to requests for comment.
Blahnik’s behaviour allegedly included joking about sleeping with Olympic skier Ted Ligety during a 2021 meeting, making lewd comments about the bodies of trainers, and publicly suggesting that a colleague’s child must have been the result of an affair due to his hair colour.
On one occasion, he joked during a team call that creative director Wil Tidman was sleeping with a male producer. Later that year, he sent Tidman a message described as “inappropriate and unsettling,” prompting Tidman to take medical leave. A settlement was reached after lawyers got involved.
Mofidi joined Apple in 2021 to help lead its podcast strategy. At first, Blahnik reportedly praised her work, but things quickly soured after she raised concerns about unequal pay. Soon after, Apple’s HR department demanded she participate in an investigation into Blahnik’s behaviour toward Tidman. She tried to decline but was told “participation is not voluntary.”
Two days later, during a routine meeting about the “Time to Walk” programme, Blahnik allegedly exploded at Mofidi. A freelancer on the call intervened, telling Blahnik to calm down and speak respectfully. According to Mofidi, this marked the beginning of a months-long campaign of retaliation. Her performance was picked apart by one of Blahnik’s lieutenants, and she said it was clear they were building a paper trail to get rid of her.
“The whole experience was incredibly isolating, humiliating and honestly, scary,” she said.
She wasn’t the only one. Former colleagues Chris Neil and Nathan Olivarez-Giles also left the company after suffering similar treatment following their support of Tidman’s claims.
In April 2023, Mofidi told take a buyout or go on a performance improvement plan. She reported the retaliation to HR the next day. They promised she’d be protected but, predictably, nothing changed. Apple’s in-house health team diagnosed her with anxiety and depression and granted her medical leave. While she was out, employee relations claimed they spoke to over 20 people but still could not confirm any retaliation, though they admitted she had taken “the brunt of a lot of the harshness that Jay exhibited.”
When her leave ended, Mofidi asked to transfer out of the division. The request was denied, so she resigned. Her lawsuit is set to go to trial in 2027.
fudzilla.com
Jay Blahnik was well known in the fitness community when he started work at Apple 12 years ago.Credit...Apple Inc./Agence France-Presse — Getty Images |
