French media were recently given a tour of Apple Park, the iPhone maker's Cupertino headquarters, which served as a background for conversations with members of Apple's senior management.
The french-language tour of Apple Park's campus by TF1 gave a rare chance for members of the media to visit the headquarters, amid the continuing COVID-19 pandemic. While it didn't provide that much of a look inside the $5 billion campus that people may want, the video offered french users an overview of where Apple currently stands.
Journalists and crew in attendance were constantly accompanied throughout the visit, as per Apple's usual culture of secrecy, with doors kept shut and locations negotiated before filming commenced.
During the visit, the crew talked to SVP of Worldwide Marketing Greg Joswiak, who described the offices as co-founder and former CEO Steve Jobs attempting to "create the office building of the future. He wanted a place where people came out of the office, where they meet by chance, collaborate, and exchange ideas."
Lisa Jackson, VP of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives, also talked to the film crew, including about Apple's recycling robot. "This is what our customers expect," she said, "and for us, that means being more attentive to the materials we use, reusing some of them and innovating to take this recycling into account when designing our products"
Continuing the overview of the company, the media also talked to Dr Sumbul Desai, in charge of health, about the Apple Watch and health-related initiatives. "Our goal is to provide data that is useful to users and also to their doctors. We do not want to replace this doctor-patient relationship, but we want to improve it," said Desai.
The report also mentions the renewable energy usage with solar panels on the roof, Apple's aim for a 100% carbon netural footprint across its entire business by 2030, and the massive size of the entire campus.
The video isn't the most in-depth report about Apple's offices, but it is a sign that Apple is more prepared to invite visitors to its offices, rather than defaulting to remote interviews. There have been some high-profile visits, such as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in July, but such occasions have been rare.
On December 9, a report revealed unseen images of the interior of Apple Park's main building, along with a lengthy discussion on the design and culture of the company as a whole.