I’ve gotten that question quite a few times over the past few weeks regarding my departure from Apple. The quick answer is simply, “I’m not really sure.”
The long answer is still a bit puzzling to me.
I’ve never given the store or my customers and my teammates anything less than my very best. But I guess somewhere along the line, the demand for tech support increased beyond what management felt I could effectively deliver. I never really saw things that way, but that was a perception that I could not change, despite focused efforts for most of 2009. Eventually I realized that no matter what I did, I would always be perceived as the anchor that dragged bar appointments down.
I offered to step aside as Genius, hoping I could transition to another position, but I was told there was no other position for me at the store. I was informed that I would be terminated (there were some other HR issues - brought up by me, but nothing that involved anyone other than me - that needed to be resolved before that could happen). I asked instead if I could resign, and management accommodated that request. For that, I’m extremely grateful.
I’m not one to toot my own horn, but personally, I feel I was a valuable asset to the store and to my team. I’m a competent technician, and my customer service skills are exceptional. The reason I’m good at my job is that I love what I do. I love Apple’s products and philosophy, and I love taking care of its customers.
I still don’t really understand why management felt that me not being part of the store team anymore - in any capacity - was the best solution, but the decision was management’s to make, and I don’t bear any ill will because of it. It’s their job to do what they feel is best for the store.
You can take the geek out of Apple, but you can’t take Apple out of the geek. So I’m going to give this independent consultant thing everything I’ve got. I’m hoping that my customer service philosophy, new flexibility from not being tied to Apple directly, and my passion for the products and my expertise, will translate into a successful business. I hope to be able to continue to work closely with the store to provide great solutions to Apple’s customers for the services the store isn’t set up to provide.
We went to see Devo in concert at the 9:30 club in Washington, D.C. last night, and it was amazing. We got there early enough to claim a spot by the stage, and I bought a tour t-shirt and an “energy dome” (“flowerpot hats,” for the non-Devo fans). After a mildly humorous opening comedy act, Devo performed their Freedom Of Choice album in its entirety, with several encores afterward.
We hung around a bit after the show — half because I had heard they came on for a final encore in their street clothes the night before, and half because I didn’t want to get snarled in post-concert traffic.
As we were waiting, we saw that the band was meeting some fans on the balcony. So after Jake got his swag, we started to head upstairs. Jake was met with a club staffer, who informed him the balcony was closed to the public. Dejected, Jake told me he’d wait for me outside while I excused myself to the men’s room.
When I came out, I saw Jake just outside. I turned and saw the stairs up, and I asked another staffer if the meet & greet was invitation-only. He said only “guest passes” were allowed access, and, as if on cue, the female half of an older couple (early-mid 50s, maybe?) who happened to be standing right there looked at me and said, “I would love one of those hats to take home for my daughter. Would you like our guest passes?”
Would I? HELLZ YES! Thanks so much, nice (drunk?) lady! Here’s my hat. I’ll get another online!
So, we ventured upstairs with our newly-acquired guest passes, and we made ourselves over to the band, which by that time was only Mark Mothersbaugh and Jerry Casale. I introduced myself and Jake to Mark, and spoke with him for a few minutes — he couldn’t have been a nicer guy. Very gracious and very kind. After we spoke, he started to walk off to the back room, when Jake called out, “Mr. Mothersbaugh, would you please sign my Energy Dome? And could I please get a picture with you?” He graciously accommodated Jake’s request:
I wanted to get my photo taken with Mark, but he looked like he was weary from the previous barrage of folks, so I decided I’d try to meet Jerry instead. But when we got over to Jerry, he was involved in a conversation with another fan (who was much cuter and much more female than either of us), so we decided to go ahead and leave, rather than awkwardly interrupt.
So we left. I finally saw Devo live after 25 years of wanting to do so, and I shared it with the best possible person I could have shared it with. Score a big check mark on our Geek Cred cards.
1,200 MP3s for free Amazon MP3 Sampler Roundup: Over 1,200 MP3 tracks for free The Amazon MP3 Store continues to offer downloads of a collection of MP3 sampler albums and individual tracks for free. In all, over 1,200 free tracks are available. All compliations contain DRM-free tracks. Amazon MP3 Downloader is required.
