Tech Reflect
  • Home
  • About This Site
  • Contact Me
  • Search Icon

Tech Reflect

Reflecting on 25 years in tech

Tim Cook and the SF Gay Pride Parade

Tim Cook and the SF Gay Pride Parade

2020-12-21

Background

This is one of my favorite really bizarre stories. In June of 2014, Apple had its first official presence at the Gay Pride Parade in San Francisco. In prior years, Apple employees marched, but it was never endorsed by Apple.

To fill out the timeline, Tim Cook did not come out until October of the same year, although it was widely rumored he was gay. Within Apple, it was just assumed.

Staging

Prior to the parade, all the employees were staged in a plaza next to the bay, waiting our turn to enter the parade.

Tim Cook stated that there were more than 5,000 Apple employees present. When I started at Apple in 1999, there weren’t that many more employees in the entire company! It was surreal to look around at the sea of people, knowing that fact.

Bathroom

Since the parade is at least 4 hours long, it was important to go to the bathroom first! Since everyone had the same idea, there was a massive line to the men’s bathroom in the hotel lobby that Apple had rented out for the occasion.

As I was waiting in line inside the bathroom, waiting for a urinal, I saw this guy stroll buy, jumping the line. A few people protested a bit until we realized it was Tim Cook. He parked himself at one of two urinals. There were a few “Hi Tim” sentiments going around.

That’s where it got weirder. From a stall, someone asked him whether he was going to march in the parade. It was a tough question, given most already knew he was not going to march. So there was that discomfort plus the discomfort of a question being shouted to your CEO from inside a bathroom stall.

After a brief moment, Tim gave a very detailed and thoughtful answer. He talked about how he wanted the day to be about Apple employees marching for the first time. He said he if marched, that’s all anyone would have written about. Which was very likely true.

After that, people asked questions about how many people were there and about Apple being involved in the parade. By then, Tim must’ve been peeing for 5 minutes.

The guy standing at the urinal next to him then turned to him and said:

Selfie?

Related posts:

Steve Jobs: "What an asshole"
Searching for porn at work
The Black Dock
The interim CEO (iCEO) scare
This icon is too horsey
Scott Forstall's hair becomes a ski jump

apple stories, tim cook

Post navigation

NEXT
Is App Library for me?
PREVIOUS
The first day we printed something in Mac OS X

Follow Me

Get Monthly Updates

About Me

25 years in tech. I like to write manifestos. I like to offer interesting tips. I like making fun of things. Everyone copes differently.

Contact Me

My Other Blogs

  • Free Range Parrots
  • Plucky Tree (personal)
  • Little Dinosaur
  • Contact Me

Recent Posts

  • Getting paid to watch porn
  • Is App Library for me?
  • Tim Cook and the SF Gay Pride Parade
  • The first day we printed something in Mac OS X
  • Except for getting punched by Steve Jobs…

Categories

  • analog (1)
  • apple career (11)
  • apple inside (8)
  • apple stories (18)
  • bertrand serlet (3)
  • essays (15)
  • geeky (21)
  • iOS tips (3)
  • macOS tips (37)
  • personal (7)
  • products (3)
  • prototypes (2)
  • scott forstall (6)
  • scripting (1)
  • steve jobs (11)
  • tim cook (1)
  • workplace (14)

Archives

  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • October 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017

Most Liked Content

  • Why I left Apple (2019)
  • Aperture: Senior QA (2004-2005)
  • The last time I saw Steve Jobs
  • Desktop Pictures taken by Steve Jobs
  • How I ended up at Apple (1999)

Get Monthly Updates

About Me

25 years in tech. I like to write manifestos. I like to offer interesting tips. I like making fun of things. Everyone copes differently.

Contact Me

My Other Blogs

  • Free Range Parrots
  • Plucky Tree (personal)
  • Little Dinosaur
  • Contact Me
© 2021   All Rights Reserved.