Apple Corporate Culture: Service Is an Attitude, Helping Is Fun
Posted on: 2023-06-10
Today, I had a meal appointment with an old friend whom I hadn't seen for three years. Later, due to some accidental reasons, we sat in an Apple Store classroom. Since I first came into contact with Apple, I have always been attracted by Apple's corporate culture. Whether it is the salesperson at the Apple Store, the after-sales service personnel at Apple support, or the course instructor provided by Apple for free, they are sincerely happy to serve customers and work with passion. Today's Apple course solved the doubts in my heart and brought me closer to Apple.
Today's course theme was painting, and the instructor was called Monk, a young man; in addition, there was a female teaching assistant, unfortunately, I do not know her name. At first, I was not interested because I was not good at painting; but the teaching assistant said that I could make an on-site reservation and provided equipment for free, so I took the equipment for myself and my companion with the attitude of killing time and giving it a try. At first, I thought it would be an Air, but I never expected it to be an iPad Pro. Apple is really generous.
Monk first asked the students present about their level of understanding of painting. After learning that everyone was a beginner, Monk said that he was also a beginner two years ago, but completed his first work within two days: the picture displayed on the screen was his self-portrait. Although the lines were a bit jerky, it was definitely not obvious that this was the "first work of a beginner". Then he introduced pressure sensitivity, handwriting, layer masks, etc. to us and led us to complete our "first work".
During the period, Monk also came down to guide our work, and I also asked Monk some questions. In less than half an hour, I drew my own work, which surprised me and made me unable to believe that I could create art. Monk also taught me how to share the work and make a video, and said that they would delete the relevant data after we used it, so there was no need to worry about data leakage.
I also asked Monk about the situation of the Swift course. After learning that I had a front-end foundation, he said that most of the courses here just simply led everyone to understand and get a sense of achievement. He suggested that I study more deeply and enthusiastically introduced me to the method of learning using the Swift playground.
Later, I talked to him about the work at Apple. I told him that I felt that every staff member at Apple was passionate about their work, and I was curious about what drove them to love this job so much. He told me his story from before. He majored in media and worked at a TV station for a period of time after graduation. But in his work, he felt too many rules and "hidden rules". Even when taking a photo of the leader with the lens slightly higher, it would be considered as "looking down" on the leader, as if looking down on the leader. Later, he also opened his own studio, but he didn't think that was what he wanted. Finally, he came to work at Apple.
He said that Apple employees do not receive commissions. They do not earn a penny for selling a mobile phone or giving a lesson, but they are still willing to help customers choose equipment and guide them in using it. He said that technology can indeed change people's lives, and he is willing to help people feel the convenience brought by technology. Indeed, he has done it. Everyone present was a beginner, but everyone created a work that surprised them. One of his lectures uncovered the potential of everyone present. I am not sure how many people will make a living from this in the future, but it does give everyone an additional skill and hobby. He said that many people have a good device, but can only utilize a small part of its capabilities. And they are happy to help people understand their own potential. Helping others makes them very happy. There is no pressure working at Apple, and it has nothing to do with money. Even though everything they do does not earn a commission, they do help many people every day. Monk is just a microcosm of the Apple team. Apple's support for education and its generous "freebies" for knowledge payment, just like the spirit of open source, mean a lot of unpaid dedication, as well as strong support for education and the enlightenment and cultivation of future talents. When you understand Apple's culture, you will also be attracted by it. In this way, people who were once influenced by Apple voluntarily return to Apple to help more people.
Although I cannot deny that this may be a means of promoting their products, I think its efforts are worthy of the economic returns it has achieved. It has never won in public opinion, but has never lost in sales. After writing this, I can't wait to experience SwiftPlayground. I hope we can meet in an AppleStore classroom one day.