That Time an iPhone Died… and So Did My Patience
Today, my iPhone 12 Pro suddenly died on me. No warning, no low battery alerts, nothing. Just… poof. Gone. For no apparent freaking reason.
Now before anyone says “have you tried turning it off and on again?”—yes, I did. I’ve owned nearly every iPhone Apple ever released (and a few it never did). This wasn’t my first rodeo. I know how to troubleshoot. This wasn’t a battery issue. It wasn’t a software glitch. It was one of those mysterious full-system deaths that leave you staring at a sleek, beautiful slab of metal and glass that might as well be a paperweight.
It got me thinking back to one of the most infamous episodes during my time at Apple.
The Leak Heard Around the World
You may remember the story—or the legend, depending on who’s telling it—about the unreleased iPhone prototype that mysteriously surfaced in a bar. What you might not know is that I was actually there. I was employed at Apple at the time as Director of Product Management, and I was the boss of the guy who lost that phone.
Let’s just say the public version of the story is… sanitized.
Here’s what really went down.
The guy didn’t just forget the phone at a pub after a quiet beer. No. He went on what I can only describe as a week-long “hell party” that would’ve made Hunter S. Thompson blink. Think cocaine, vodka, marijuana, and enough chaos to justify a Netflix docuseries.
He dropped the iPhone prototype in a toilet. A toilet.
He didn’t even realize he’d lost it until days later because he was, to put it mildly, unavailable. Our security team had to backtrack his entire bender—scanning bar receipts, CCTV footage, even contacting the various women (professional and otherwise) he’d spent time with over the week. Yes, I personally spoke to several of them. That was a new bullet point on the “things they don’t train you for in product leadership” list.
Damage Control, Apple Style
When he finally emerged from his chemically-induced haze, we were already in full containment mode. Legal, PR, engineering, security—everyone was involved. And understandably so. The prototype he lost was not only unreleased, it was a significant step forward from the previous model. We were just weeks away from a major reveal.
Apple doesn’t mess around when it comes to secrecy. This wasn’t just a screw-up. It was the screw-up. The kind that makes headlines. The kind that gets people fired.
He was, unsurprisingly, let go. But what shocked me was what one of our execs said afterward:
“That guy will never work in tech again.”
And he was serious. Apple doesn’t forget. And Apple doesn’t forgive—especially when it comes to leaks.
Lessons From the Edge
Looking back, it’s equal parts hilarious and tragic. The absurdity of it all still blows my mind. Here was one of the smartest engineers I ever worked with—brilliant, creative, obsessive about detail. But he lost it all over one week of total recklessness. Maybe it was burnout. Maybe ego. Maybe he thought he was untouchable. Doesn’t matter.
In the end, it was a toilet and a bar tab that took him down.
When people talk about Apple’s culture of secrecy, this is why it exists. This is why internal builds are locked down. This is why we hold prototypes like state secrets. Because a single mistake—especially one fuelled by poor judgment and stimulants—can blow open years of work.
Fast Forward to Today
So yeah, when my iPhone 12 Pro died this morning, I laughed. Not because it’s funny—but because I remembered how much blood, sweat, and tequila went into building these things. Sometimes literally.
And while I’m annoyed my phone bricked itself, I’m at least comforted by one thing:
At least I didn’t leave it in a bar bathroom during a seven-day chemical circus and make front-page tech news.
So to that guy—wherever you are—I hope you’re doing alright. I hope you found peace (and a flip phone). And to everyone else: take care of your iPhones. And for the love of God, don’t bring them to your next all-night bender..