A high-ranking Apple executive has been fired after appearing in a TikTok and saying, “I fondle big-breasted women.”
Tony Blevins, Apple’s vice president of procurement, was approached by a TikToker and asked what he did for a living after rolling up to a car show in a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren.
“I have rich cars, play golf and fondle big-breasted women,” Blevins answered. “But I take weekends and major holidays off.”
Blevins was referencing the opening scene from the 1981 film “Arthur,” in which Dudley Moore’s title character answers the same question by saying: “I race cars, play tennis and fondle women, but I have weekends off and I am my own boss.”
But Apple employees didn’t see his comments as a harmless joke, according to Bloomberg. The company launched an investigation that led to Blevins’ ouster.
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Sources told Bloomberg that several Apple employees were angered by Blevins’ comments, noting that they didn’t exactly line up with CEO Tim Cook’s stated vision of making the company more inclusive.
“I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely apologize to anyone who was offended by my mistaken attempt at humor,” Blevins told Bloomberg. He said the video, posted Sept. 5, was filmed on Aug. 18.
As vice president of procurement, Blevins had several hundred people working under him and was in charge of striking deals with suppliers. He was profiled by the Wall Street Journal in 2020 and described as a man who drives a hard bargain.
