Two female Apple employees have filed a lawsuit against the tech giant, claiming the company pays women less than men for identical work.
The two employees expect to form a class action to represent over 12,000 current and former female employees in Apple's engineering, marketing, and AppleCare divisions. It was filed in state court in San Francisco on Thursday, according to CNN.
Central to the lawsuit are Apple's hiring practices and performance evaluations, which the plaintiffs argue have contributed to a persistent wage gap.
Since California banned employers from inquiring about prior pay in 2018, Apple has asked candidates about their pay expectations instead. The plaintiffs allege that this practice has resulted in lower starting salaries for women compared to men performing similar roles.
The lawsuit also claims that Apple's performance evaluation system is biased, with parameters like teamwork and leadership disproportionately benefiting men over women. This bias, the plaintiffs claim, impacts promotions and bonuses for female employees.
Apple said in a statement it is committed to inclusion and pay equity.
"Since 2017, Apple has achieved and maintained gender pay equity and every year we partner with an independent third-party expert to examine each team member's total compensation and make adjustments, where necessary, to ensure that we maintain pay equity," the company said.
One plaintiff, Justina Jong, a customer and technical training instructor, discovered through a colleague's W-2 form that he was earning nearly $10,000 more than her despite doing similar work.
"This revelation made me feel terrible," Jong said in a statement.
The lawsuit also mentions that Jong was forced to work alongside a co-worker who had sexually harassed her.
The other plaintiff, Amina Salgado, who has held various positions at Apple since 2012, repeatedly raised concerns about the wage gap. The lawsuit states that a third-party investigation in 2023 confirmed she was underpaid.
Although Apple subsequently increased her salary, Salgado alleges that the company refused to provide back pay for the years she was undercompensated.
The lawsuit seeks compensation for lost wages and calls for declaratory and injunctive relief. The plaintiffs argue that class members deserve restitution for the economic disparities they have faced and expect to hold Apple accountable for creating a fairer work environment.
Apple isn't the first major tech firm to face gender discrimination lawsuits. Google and Oracle have settled similar claims by paying millions of dollars, though neither company admitted any wrongdoing.
