Amaya Toman Getting fired—especially when it's unexpected—is anything but cause for celebration, at least for the fired employee. In today's installment of our regular "history" series, we recall the day when a massive layoff was followed by a wild celebration at Apple.
It could be interest you
For many people at Apple, February 25, 1981 was the worst day in the company's history, and a sign that the fun startup culture of the early days was gone forever. At that time, the Cupertino company was headed by Michael Scott, who, looking at almost two thousand employees, decided that the company had simply grown too quickly. The expansion led to Apple hiring people it didn't consider "A" players. A quick and easy solution in the form of mass layoffs almost offered itself.
Gallery
“I said that when I stopped being CEO of Apple, I would quit,” Scott told Apple employees at the time about the layoffs. "But now I've changed my mind - if being CEO isn't fun anymore, I'm just going to fire people until it's fun again." He began by asking department managers for a list of employees Apple could lay off. He then compiled these names into one memorandum, circulated a list, and asked for the nomination of 40 people who should be released. Scott then personally fired these people in a mass layoff that became known as Apple's "Black Wednesday."
It could be interest you
Paradoxically, this event was one of a number of layoffs that occurred at Apple when it was doing well. Sales were doubling almost every month, and there was no indication that the company was going down so badly that it would be necessary to begin mass layoffs. After the first wave of layoffs, Scott held a party where he made that infamous line that he would lay off people at Apple until running the company became fun again. Unfortunately, it turns out that the layoffs continue even during the party.
"Meanwhile, managers were circling the crowd, tapping people on the shoulder, because it turned out they weren't done firing people yet." recalls Bruce Tognazzini, who was working as an interface designer at the time. After Black Wednesday, several Apple employees attempted to form a union under the name Computer Professionals Union. Their first meeting never happened. For many people at Apple, this marked the moment when Apple changed from a fun startup to a serious company with a ruthless drive for results.
In other words, it was the moment when Apple came of age. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak was on his way out. Steve Jobs cut his long hair and started dressing like a businessman. But Black Wednesday also heralded the beginning of Scott's end at the helm – not long after being fired, Scott was reassigned to the role of vice chairman of the company's board of directors.
