Apple fitness chief Jay Blahnik accused of fostering a toxic workplace culture and harassment
Jay Blahnik, an American fitness instructor, trainer, consultant, author, program developer, and Apple Inc.’s Vice President of Fitness Technologies, is credited with creating the Apple Watch’s iconic fitness feature: three circular bands tracking daily exercise, standing, and calorie burning, marketed as “Close Your Rings.” However, nine current and former employees who worked with or under Blahnik told
Jay Blahnik, Apple’s Vice President of Fitness Technologies
Jay Blahnik, an American fitness instructor, trainer, consultant, author, program developer, and Apple Inc.’s Vice President of Fitness Technologies, is credited with creating the Apple Watch’s iconic fitness feature: three circular bands tracking daily exercise, standing, and calorie burning, marketed as “Close Your Rings.” However, nine current and former employees who worked with or under Blahnik told The New York Times that he fostered a toxic work environment.
Mr. Blahnik created a toxic work environment, said nine current and former employees who worked with or for Mr. Blahnik and spoke about personnel issues on the condition of anonymity. They said Mr. Blahnik, 57, who leads a roughly 100-person division as vice president for fitness technologies, could be verbally abusive, manipulative and inappropriate. His behavior contributed to decisions by more than 10 workers to seek extended mental health or medical leaves of absence since 2022, about 10 percent of the team, these people said.
When confronted with Mr. Blahnik’s behavior, Apple moved to protect him after an internal investigation. The company settled one complaint alleging sexual harassment by Mr. Blahnik and is fighting a lawsuit by an employee, Mandana Mofidi, who said he had bullied her. Mr. Blahnik stayed in his job after company officials said their investigation had found no evidence of wrongdoing, according to interviews and Ms. Mofidi’s lawsuit, which she filed against Mr. Blahnik and Apple last year in Los Angeles County Superior Court…
Lance Lin, an Apple spokesman, said the company took “all concerns seriously” and was “deeply committed to creating and maintaining a positive and inclusive workplace.”
During a meeting in 2021 to discuss a fitness feature on the Olympic skier Ted Ligety, Mr. Blahnik joked with colleagues about sleeping with the skier, two people who attended the meeting said…
On another occasion, Mr. Blahnik said in front of several employees that the wife of a Fitness+ manager must have had an affair with another man because the manager’s son had a different hair color, Ms. Mofidi and three other former employees said. Mr. Blahnik used a vulgar word in making the remark, they said.
Mr. Blahnik would leer at the group’s creative director, Wil Tidman, and compliment the way Mr. Tidman dressed, two former employees said. During a work video call with staff, he joked that Mr. Tidman was having an affair with a male producer, they said.
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