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The introduction of any Apple product to the market is always associated with maximum secrecy, prudence and a number of measures designed to prevent unwanted leaks. These are sometimes restrictions affecting the personal lives of workers involved in a secret project. For employees working in a facility called the Apple Black Site, for example, calling an Uber on the way home from work is out of the question. These people are instructed by Apple executives to first walk a few blocks before calling a ride.

The Black Site is a so-called satellite workplace of Apple. It is a secluded, austere-looking building that is certainly not too busy around. At first glance from the outside, it looks like the reception is part of the building, but it is apparently unoccupied and most visitors use the back entrance.

The Black Site differs from the standard Apple campus in many ways, and completely different rules apply here. Former employees who had the privilege of working in the secretive Apple building said that there is a queue for the men's bathroom and local employees are not allowed to visit the gym.

Take a look at Apple's secret data center:

After all, "Employees" is a slightly misleading term, technically speaking, these are contractual partners. The usual tenure here is 12 to 15 months, with the threat of immediate dismissal constantly hanging over everyone. In some cases, there is literally a culture of fear that can easily discourage more sensitive individuals.

Working at an Apple Black Site might be considered an adventurous dream job by some, but the truth is that workers here receive desperately few benefits. For example, they are entitled to only 24 to 48 hours of paid medical leave per year. Illness was the reason for a number of contract partners to leave the Black Site.

One advantage that outweighs all of the disadvantages mentioned is how great a Black Site internship looks on a resume. But only if the person in question is lucky enough to sign a contract directly with Apple, not with Apex Systems, as is the case with most local workers. In the case of employment through Apex Systems, the Cupertino giant even expressly forbids the use of the name of Apple in the CV in this context.

“When you say you work for Apple, it sounds great,” confided one former worker. "But when you're not paid that well and you're not treated that well, it gets boring quickly."

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Source: Bloomberg

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