Apple Purchasing Vice President Fired Over This One Remark... What Did He Say?

Blevins Makes Sexual Joke in TikTok Video Featuring Chance; Apple Employees Report to Company... Some Contestants Angry

Tony Blevins, Apple's Vice President of Purchasing, was fired by Apple for making a provocative joke in a TikTok video in which he appeared by chance. The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Bora Lee] Tony Blevins, Apple’s Vice President of Purchasing, was fired for responding to a TikToker’s question with a sexual joke, Bloomberg reported on the 29th (local time).

According to reports, the exact reason for Blevins’ resignation has not been disclosed, but it was triggered by a video posted earlier this month on the video-sharing platform TikTok.

In the video released on the 5th, Blevins accidentally appeared in a series where Daniel Mac, a TikTok and Instagram creator, asks owners of expensive cars about their occupations. Mac gained recognition by posting a series asking luxury car owners about their jobs.

Blevins met Mac on the 18th of last month at a motor show held in Pebble Beach, California. While parking a sports car worth hundreds of millions of won, a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, he was asked by Mac, “What is your occupation?”

Without revealing his workplace or name, Blevins said, “I have an expensive car, play golf, and caress women with large breasts. I rest on weekends and holidays.” He then added, “I have terrible dental insurance,” which caused the woman riding beside him to be caught laughing.

Blevins’ words quoted a line from the 1981 movie Arthur, and the video attracted attention with over 1.3 million views on TikTok. It also received more than 40,000 likes on Instagram.

As the video gained popularity and spread, some Apple employees reported it to the company. After an internal investigation, Apple decided to terminate Blevins. Bloomberg also reported that some Apple executives were angered by Blevins’ remarks in the video.

Blevins apologized to Bloomberg, saying, “I sincerely apologize to everyone who was offended by my inappropriate joke,” and left the company on the 29th (local time).

Meanwhile, Blevins, who joined Apple in 2000, worked as a cost reduction expert lowering Apple’s production costs for 22 years. Although part of a group of about 100 vice presidents, he was one of 30 executives who reported directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook or COO Jeff Williams.