By Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com
Even if a court orders Apple to comply with the FBI’s request to unlock an iPhone, engineers may refuse to develop the technology that would make it possible.
The New York Times interviewed current and former Apple employees and discovered that they may quit their jobs or balk at the work.
Apple has argued that demands to open an iPhone of one of the San Bernardino shooters curbs free speech.
“Such conscription is fundamentally offensive to Apple’s core principles and would pose a severe threat to the autonomy of Apple and its engineers,” Apple’s lawyers wrote in the company’s final brief to the Federal District Court for the Central District of California.
The concerns also shed light on a company culture that embraces anti-establishment principles.
“It’s an independent culture and a rebellious one,” said Jean-Louis Gassée, a venture capitalist who was once an engineering manager at Apple. “If the government tries to compel testimony or action from these engineers, good luck with that.”
