Is Apple Culture Bad For Recruiting? New Report Alleges So

Apple Inc. AAPL is known for many things— top-of-the-line technology, unprecedented innovation and user engagement, just to name a few. However, the company's reputation may not be uniformly idyllic.

Following a "one-sided report" from the Guardian, AppleInsider reported on Thursday that the culture of the company is under fire.

Related Link: Apple: The Aftermath

According to the original source, "Silicon Valley developers are turned off by [Apple's] ‘secretive, controlling' culture." Citing developer James Knight, the Guardian had a go at supporting this claim with an insider's view. Quoting Knight, who "considered applying to several of the big tech companies" recently, the Guardian painted the scene of Knight's disappointment in Apple and subsequent deletion off his list of potential employers, "'Apple's culture is one that's so negative, so strict, so harsh,' said Knight, a talented 27-year-old coder who left a job at Google for more lucrative freelance work."

The Guardian's report continues, reiterating that Knight's sentiment is echoed by Silicon Valley recruiters. In addition to Knight's experience, the Guardian highlighted engineers' concerns and the lack of employee benefits as tarnishing Apple's recruitment reputation.

AppleInsider's Response

In response to these allegations, AppleInsider stated, "Taken as a whole, The Guardian report characterizes Apple as part of the unbending old guard, a company that failed to keep up with prevailing Silicon Valley culture and is now paying the price. A sampling of negative portrayals is hardly sufficient proof of an overarching trend."

The report continued, acknowledging the glimmers of truth from the Guardian, "It does, however, highlight the constant internal struggle Apple must face in balancing corporate policy with recruitment, all while keeping existing product lines fresh and the public waiting for the next big thing.

"The same culture that attracted the best and brightest ten years ago might now, in a time when Apple must protect its place as the largest company in the world, be a repellent," AppleInsider concluded.

At the time of this writing, Apple was trading up 1.68 percent at $95.68.