Apple is the world’s largest company by market capitalization. As of November 2015, the company had a recorded market value of $658.1 billion. Apple is worth more than FedEx, Exxon Mobil, and Bank of America combined.
Yet for all these impressive feats, and by all business/historical/technological standards Apple is impressive. There is something terrible about these numbers. In Apple's Chinese factories workers are paid just $1.69 per hour to produce iPhones and iPads for world consumption. Let's think about the revenues hauled in by Apple and how they reflect on the pay given to the factory workers. Many of these people perform tasks like wiping down screens or shaving aluminum from the edges of the famous Apple logo for ten hours at a time.
The conditions inside the factory in Shenzhen are such that 18 employees have committed suicide in the year 2013. Conditions were such that managers demanded there be a suicide net placed around the entire building to keep over-worked and stressed employees jumping to their deaths after there were nine suicides in the space of three months. What's worse is articles as recent as October 23rd unfortunately report that there have been no real changes made in factory work conditions with the Apple contract labor company Pegatron. Interestingly enough, in light of these scandals, Apple still makes great strides and continues to succeed. Not only in the stock market, but in pop culture and technological advancements.
Which makes one wonder will the world have a crisis of conscience and cry out against the injustices of these serious labor issues, or will the public continue to put value on a company that allows such degradation of human life? Will Apple continue to succeed in the stock market if this trend continues? One may never know.