
A note from the editor-in-chief about Chris Ziegler - tommccabe
http://www.theverge.com/2016/9/23/13036012/a-note-from-the-editor-in-chief-about-chris-ziegler
======
bonaldi
This is staggeringly odd. I can't believe Apple would sanction this, and don't
expect they'll be happy if they're now discovering it. Most contracts would
exclude it, too.

Hope all is well with Ziegler and he isn't having personal issues

~~~
exolymph
I feel similarly baffled. There's no way Apple knew about this.

Just a stunning lack of judgment.

------
fred256
The plot thickens:
[https://twitter.com/atp_tipster1/status/779434936558321664](https://twitter.com/atp_tipster1/status/779434936558321664)

~~~
BinaryIdiot
Interesting! So is he really working for Apple? Would a contractor show up
under that same directory in case he's working 1099 or something? I originally
saw this story and figured "conflict of interest, lack of judgement but who
cares" but now I'm curious how The Verge verified his employment with them and
if he really does work there.

~~~
bmm6o
I assume they called the HR contact. That's how it's generally done for
background checks, etc.

------
danso
> Obviously having an Apple employee on The Verge staff is a conflict of
> interest. Vox Media Editorial Director Lockhart Steele stepped in to conduct
> an independent review of The Verge's work and staff interactions with Chris
> during the time he worked at Apple and Vox Media to determine if that
> conflict had manifested itself in any of our coverage or affected any of our
> editorial decisions...Chris only actively worked at The Verge while employed
> by Apple in July, and was almost entirely absent from our team in August, so
> we are confident that we've reviewed the situation thoroughly.

I believe Verge has an obligation to review work before July. Unless Apple has
some super-speed HR-hiring process, it's safe to assume that Ziegler was doing
interviews with Apple for at least a month prior, nevermind any time spent
contemplating jumping ship and wanting to sweeten the process by directing
favorable coverage to Apple.

Sure, you could argue that this level of introspection isn't used for all the
other reporters who have ever jumped ship to work at the places they've
covered, such as journalists joining the White House PR team. But this is the
first time I've ever heard of someone deceiving their employer by hiding the
fact of employment (rather than just the interview/search process).

------
hrgeek
Was he trying to avoid a non-compete agreement by just disappearing? That
makes no sense.

