- When an employee departs Apple, that person is referred to as a ″associate.″ In the words of Reed Albergotti Feb 10, 2022, 8:57 am 234 points In databases that are commonly used for employment verification, Apple updates the titles of all formerly employed individuals to ″associate.″ According to an accusation that was submitted to the SEC by a former worker, this caused her to lose out on a new employment opportunity.