UPDATE: Apple has confirmed the suicide, saying: “We are saddened by the tragic loss of this young employee, and we are awaiting results of the investigations into his death.” Apple did not comment on reports that the employee had been handling a new prototype, or mistreated by Foxconn security, but did say”We require our suppliers to treat all workers with dignity and respect.”
A sad story is hitting the headlines in the East right now: according to Chinese press, a next-gen iPhone prototype an engineer was responsible for went missing, leading to the employee being investigated. Shortly after, he committed suicide.
According to Chinese news sources including reputable regional newspaper Southern Metropolis Daily, Sun Danyong, an employee of Shenzhen manufacturing giant Foxconn (which puts together the iPhone for Apple), was recently charged with looking after 16 fourth-gen iPhone prototypes.
When one of the new iPhone models went missing his apartment was searched by other Foxconn staff on Wednesday 15 July, possibly illegally.
Shortly after, Sun jumped to his death from the 12th floor of his apartment building. DigitalBeat reports that rumours are flying that Sun was detained and assaulted during the search, which if true is a worrying example of how the pressures of secrecy can lead to tragic consequences down the chain. We’ll let you know if any more details emerge.
Out TBC | £TBC | Foxconn (Via DigitalBeat)
