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Google 'sacked Apple pioneer over leaked Schmidt memo'

Woz pal booted, says report

Google has sacked Randy Wigginton — a software engineer who was employee number six at Apple — for leaking Eric Schmidt's memo announcing a company-wide pay raise and bonus, according to a report citing a "well-placed source close to Google."

Gawker reports that Wigginton is "widely believed within the company to be the fired leaker." Other news outlets had previously reported that an employee was sacked for leaking the memo, which announced a 10 per cent pay raise and a $1,000 "cash" Christmas bonus for all Google employees — but this is the first time the employee has been named.

Asked to comment, a Google spokesperson said: "We don't comment on personnel matters."

As Gawker points out, Wigginton's LinkedIn profile now indicates he has left Google. And another onetime Apple and Google employee has altered Wigginton's Wikipedia entry to show that he has left Google.

Wigginton joined Apple is 1976, after meeting Steve Wozniak through the Homebrew Computer Club at the Bellarmine College Preparatory school in San Jose, California. He helped design the Apple II and created multiple noteworthy Mac software applications, including MacWrite and Full Impact.

He also worked as a distinguished engineer at eBay. At Google, he was a site-reliability engineer.

According to a report from CNet, one Googler has said that the memo leaker was fired for, um, endangering the company's employees. "The leaker was promptly fired because he or she selfishly and thoughtlessly put 20,000 co-workers in immediate danger of being mugged while carrying holiday bonus cash on their way home in the dark that very evening. And because the leaker directly disobeyed repeated and very explicit instructions from the top, not to leak this bonus news prematurely before evening when all workers were home safe," this employee reportedly said.

Make of that what you will. ®

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