Apple exec who was fired after being caught on video joking about fondling 'big-breasted women' says he stayed up all night trying to get the TikTok down before it went viral
itsdanielmac/TikTok
- A former Apple exec said he spent all night trying to remove a TikTok in which he made a crude joke.
- In the video, Tony Blevins made a comment about fondling "big-breasted women."
- Apple fired Blevins, who'd been with the company for 22 years, over the video in September.
Tony Blevins, a former Apple executive, told The Wall Street Journal this week that he spent all night trying to take down a TikTok featuring him making a crude comment in September.
The tech company, he said, reached out at 1:30 a.m. about the video, insisting that he get it taken down immediately.
"I race cars, play golf, and fondle big-breasted women. But I take weekends and major holidays off," Blevins says in the TikTok, which shows him getting out of his Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren, a supercar that can cost upwards of $500,000.
The video ultimately cost Blevins his career at Apple. Blevins, a vice president of procurement who had worked at Apple for over 22 years, was fired days after it was posted. Bloomberg was the first to report that Blevins had left the company.
"It was 22 years dissolved in about 25 seconds," Blevins told The Journal, adding: "It utterly shocked me. My whole life has been Apple. I tried to be the most loyal person."
An Apple representative did not respond to a request for comment ahead of publication. Insider was unable to get in contact with Blevins.
The TikTok video was posted by a creator known as Daniel Mac as part of a series where he asks people with expensive cars what they do for a living.
Blevins told The Journal that the Apple executive who'd called in September told him to get the video taken down as soon as possible, saying some staffers had complained about the TikTok. Blevins said he spent the night trying to get in contact with Mac to get it taken down but didn't receive a reply.
Mac, who has 13.6 million followers on TikTok, did not respond to a request for comment from Insider ahead of publication. His video of Blevins has received over 200,000 likes.
Blevins apologized for the video and said his statement was a reference to the 1981 film "Arthur." He told The Journal that he thought his firing was a mistake and was a sign of the company bowing to external pressure.
After he was fired, Apple executives planned a going-away party for Blevins, but he told The Journal it was eventually canceled. Blevins also told the publication he was let go without severance.
He hasn't been replaced, he said.
Read the full story on The Journal's website.