Former Apple employee Ekaterina Rezikova publicly thanked the company and Tim Cook for helping to evacuate employees and their families from Kharkiv in 2023.
Rezykova, who used to work as a developer at Apple, said on Twitter on Friday, October 25, that the company had conducted a large-scale coordinated evacuation, including her and her grandmother. After the event, Tim Cook wished her all the best.
«I’ve never told you how much Apple did to help evacuate my grandmother from the hell that was happening in Kharkiv in 2023. They hired contractors to get people out. The level of coordination on the ground and online was insane — translators, drivers, everything. Thank you».
The rescue operation was very coordinated, involving many people. It seems that Apple organized everything from evacuating the city under Russian fire to organizing a place of refuge in Poland.
«It was like a full-fledged operation. We had several WhatsApp chats with different coordinators and drivers on the ground. Apple paid for the hotel and tickets to a safe place in Poland».
Kateryna was struck by the level of support from Apple which exceeded her expectations:
«I have never seen anything like this. The support they provided was beyond what an employer could do».
The touching story surprised the commentators, who also did not expect this and said many warm words. In particular, Catherine and others noted the non-public nature of the operation, which she has only just revealed. One commenter said that Steve Jobs «admired Tim [Cook] as a true master of logistics».
«Thank you all for your kind words and support. I told my grandmother about the reaction to this, and we had a nostalgic moment on the phone as we reminisced about that week. As a family, we are very happy that she is safe. This has nothing to do with Apple’s affiliation or promotion. … Yes, it was very internal and not for the press».
Another Apple employee, Steph Kreske, confirmed in comments to Rezykova’s post that the company usually helps employees and their families who find themselves in large-scale emergencies. During the hurricanes in Florida and Texas, Apple engaged a special team to evacuate employees with disabilities who worked from home. The company evacuated one man from Florida before the hurricane hit, paid for his hotel and brought him home after the emergency had passed. «I will always have a lot of respect for Apple for the way the company rallies around people in the most difficult of times».
Source: Apple Insider