{"id":40152,"date":"2026-04-03T17:35:03","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T17:35:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=40152"},"modified":"2026-04-03T17:35:03","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T17:35:03","slug":"apple-exec-who-joked-to-employees-about-sleeping-with-olympic-skier-retires-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=40152","title":{"rendered":"Apple exec who joked to employees about sleeping with Olympic skier retires: report"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Apple\u2019s fitness chief is retiring in the wake of allegations he fostered a toxic workplace and harassed employees \u2014 including claims he once joked about sleeping with an Olympic skier.<\/p>\n<p>Jay Blahnik, 57, who served as Apple\u2019s vice president of fitness technologies, allegedly joked during a 2021 meeting about sleeping with Olympic skier Ted Ligety, according to two attendees <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/08\/21\/technology\/apple-fitness-jay-blahnik.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">cited by The New York Times.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>He also allegedly suggested that a member of his team secured Ligety\u2019s participation in a fitness feature by offering the Olympian a neck massage, according to accounts relayed by employees and cited by The Times.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Jay Blahnik, Apple\u2019s former vice president of fitness technologies, is facing allegations of workplace misconduct. <span class=\"credit\">APPLE\/HANDOUT\/EPA-EFE\/Shutterstock<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Apple was accused of going to significant lengths to shield Blahnik, who helped create popular fitness features on the Apple Watch and later oversaw the company\u2019s Fitness+ service.<\/p>\n<p>The company settled one sexual harassment complaint and declined to discipline him \u2014 while allegedly allowing him to remain in charge of the same team and reporting structure tied to the complaints, according to the lawsuit and employee accounts.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Blahnik has also been accused by multiple current and former employees of a broader pattern of toxic behavior, including making comments about trainers\u2019 bodies, using vulgar language about colleagues\u2019 personal lives and joking about alleged affairs among staff.<\/p>\n<p>A lawsuit filed against Blahnik by a former employee alleges that he sexually harassed creative director Wil Tidman for years and pursued him romantically \u2014 then retaliated when the interest wasn\u2019t reciprocated. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Olympic skier Ted Ligety was referenced in alleged remarks made during a 2021 Apple meeting. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The complaint claims the conduct began shortly after Tidman\u2019s 2019 hire and escalated into a \u201ccampaign of harassment and job-related retaliation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Blahnik is alleged to have commented on female trainers\u2019 \u201crear ends and breasts,\u201d according to multiple employees cited by The Times. <\/p>\n<p>He also allegedly speculated in front of staff that a colleague\u2019s wife had cheated, using a vulgar term while pointing to the couple\u2019s child having a different hair color, the report said.<\/p>\n<p>Blahnik further fueled discomfort with jokes about staff relationships, including quipping during a work call that a male creative director was having an affair with another male producer, former employees told The Times.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Jay Blahnik led Apple\u2019s Fitness+ push before allegations from employees surfaced. <span class=\"credit\">FilmMagic<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The executive also allegedly \u201cleered\u201d at that same creative director and made personal comments about his appearance.<\/p>\n<p>The behavior escalated in 2022, when Blahnik sent the creative director what colleagues described as an \u201cinappropriate and unsettling\u201d text message, according to people familiar with the exchange. <\/p>\n<p>After the alleged incident, the creative director went on medical leave before eventually reaching a settlement with Apple, the report said.<\/p>\n<p>Blahnik\u2019s conduct extended to confrontations in meetings, including one in which he \u201cexploded\u201d and yelled at employee Mandana Mofidi, according to her lawsuit.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Apple\u2019s Jay Blahnik allegedly joked to colleagues about sleeping with Olympic skier Ted Ligety, according to accounts cited by The New York Times. <span class=\"credit\">Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Mofidi, who filed suit against Apple and Blahnik in Los Angeles County Superior Court in December 2024, later described the aftermath as \u201cincredibly isolating, humiliating \u2014 honestly, scary,\u201d as she alleged retaliation after raising concerns.<\/p>\n<p>Even Apple\u2019s internal review acknowledged problems, according to the lawsuit, with HR officials allegedly describing Blahnik\u2019s conduct as \u201charsh,\u201d \u201cunsympathetic,\u201d and \u201cprobably demotivating,\u201d while noting multiple employees had seen Mofidi crying at work. <\/p>\n<p>Despite that, she was kept in the same reporting structure, the complaint says.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Apple Watch\u2019s Activity Rings became a signature feature under Jay Blahnik\u2019s leadership. <span class=\"credit\">sompong \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Mofidi ultimately went on medical leave and was diagnosed with PTSD by an Apple Wellness doctor, citing panic attacks, sleep disruption and other physical symptoms, according to the filing. <\/p>\n<p>When she sought to return on the condition she not report to Blahnik, Apple allegedly denied the request and later cut off her system access \u2014 leading to what she claims was an effective termination.<\/p>\n<p>Megan Thomas, a New York-based sexual harassment attorney, told The Post the case reflects a broader pattern in workplace discrimination.<\/p>\n<div class=\"single__inline-module inline-module inline-module--newsletter aligncenter inline-module--nypostbusinessunit aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-newsletter\" data-source-unit=\"Inline Newsletter Module Morning Report\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__inner\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__title-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"inline-module__unsubmitted-title-wrapper\">\n<h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with all you need to know\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<p class=\"inline-module__cta\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMorning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h3 class=\"inline-module__title headline headline--combo-sm-md\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\t\t\t\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cThis case highlights a problem I call the Cinderella effect. Employers hold women to a higher standard and require them to work more, while paying them less. When they speak up, they often face retaliation,\u201d Thomas said.<\/p>\n<p>She added that legal action, while daunting, is often necessary to drive accountability.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is incredibly difficult to stand up for yourself and sue your employer, but sometimes it is the only way to create real change. The reality is, if this is happening to one woman, it is happening to many. And when one woman stands up, she is not just standing up for herself, she is standing up for others too,\u201d she told The Post.<\/p>\n<p>Nine current and former employees described the workplace as \u201cverbally abusive, manipulative and inappropriate,\u201d with more than 10 workers taking extended mental health or medical leave since 2022, according to the Times. <\/p>\n<p>Apple has denied wrongdoing and said an internal investigation found no evidence to support the claims, though the company settled one complaint alleging sexual harassment.<\/p>\n<p>The Post has sought comment from Apple, Blahnik, Tidman, Ligety and Mofidi.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/03\/business\/apple-exec-who-joked-to-employees-about-sleeping-with-olympic-skier-retires-report\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Apple\u2019s fitness chief is retiring in the wake of allegations he fostered a toxic workplace and harassed employees \u2014 including claims he once joked about sleeping&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":40153,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40152","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40152","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=40152"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40152\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/40153"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=40152"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=40152"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=40152"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}