Sheesh–sometimes I forget how many people actually read this stuff. Now that Robert Scoble and Daniel Jalkut have taken notice of my decision not to go ahead with my CocoaRadio interview, I feel compelled to offer some further context.
First, to address Scoble’s comment, I wasn’t ordered by Apple PR not to go through with the interview–I was simply reminded by a higher-ranking colleague that Apple has certain procedures employees are supposed to go through before talking to “the media,” and that I had not gone through them. So, to be clear: I was not “officially” shut down–I just hastily did what I thought was prudent in light of what I was hearing.
Second, to address Jalkut’s criticism: yes, I did silence myself. I do appreciate his appraisal of my legal situation, however, I would remind him that Apple is an “at will” employer, and as such, may terminate me without providing any reason (as long as it’s not related to age, sex, national origin or disability). I’m not saying that would necessarily have been the result of me going through with the interview, but I think it’s important to note that the legal protections he describes would probably not apply.
The issues involved in my giving an interview to Blake are complicated. I would argue that I wouldn’t have said anything on CocoaRadio that I wouldn’t have also said on my weblog, and that the interview would actually have been beneficial PR for Apple. I planned to tell the story of how I became a Mac developer (which I think could be very inspirational to aspiring shareware authors), what it takes to develop a successful Mac app, why the Mac is a great platform to develop for. I would also argue that what I would have done there was no different from what Apple employee/former indie developer Eric Peyton did by appearing on a panel for Evening at Adler. Essentially, I’d be talking enthusiastically about my personal interests. Unfortunately, my personal interests overlap pretty strongly with my employer’s, and my employer has policies (and cultural aversions, I might add) about employees being too visible in discussing Apple-related matters.
That said, I’m not really sure what I’ll do now. I may try going through the prescribed chain of command to get permission, but I’m not sure that would be worth the scrutiny it would bring me. Most likely I’ll just maintain the status quo, and continue walking the fine line I’ve been walking for years now.