Back in 2012, an Apple retail employee named Sam Sung went viral because his name is similar to Samsung, one of Apple’s main competitors. In a recent interview with Business Insider, he detailed that period in his life, how Apple responded, and he explained why he ultimately changed his name.
Someone posted an image of Sung’s Apple business card on Reddit in 2012, and it spread rapidly. Apple called him and asked him if he was aware of the post, and he became paranoid that he would lose his job.
“I was so scared, and I just wanted to keep my head down and stay employed,” he said.
After a reporter approached him while he was at work, Apple pulled Sung from the store floor, and employees were told not to identify him when customers came in and asked. Apple also took away his business cards. Sung pretended to be someone else when a customer asked, and eventually, the joke died off.
Sung ended up leaving Apple in 2013 because he wanted to move on from retail, and in 2014, he ended up auctioning off his old business cards and pieces of his former uniform for charity.
Sung didn’t change his name until after he left Apple, but his decision to do so was a direct result of going viral. He said he “didn’t want to be known for being an internet joke.”
He ultimately decided to change his last name to Struan, which he says is the name of one of his favorite places in Scotland. Though he doesn’t regret his name change, he says that he wishes he could tell his younger self to “see it as a funny thing” and not stress out about his job.