An Apple employee changed his last name because of its resemblance to Samsung (3 photos)

Former Apple store employee Sam Sung shared how he was forced to change his last name after problems at work.





Imagine your birth name suddenly becoming a problem for your employer. Not because it sounds bad, but because it's the name of a major competitor. This isn't a hypothetical scenario, but the real-life story of Sam Sung, whose career at Apple was derailed by a single viral photo. His badge, which read "Apple - Sam Sung," went viral, but company management didn't appreciate the humor, setting off a chain of events that ended with his name change. It's worth noting that this isn't a new story, but it's interesting for those who missed it.

When Your Badge Is a Meme

It all started innocently enough. Sam Sung got a job at an Apple store. He was simply going about his business until one day, a customer noticed his badge. The combination of the words "Apple" and "Sam Sung" on the employee's uniform struck him as so funny that he immediately snapped a photo.

Needless to say, what happened next? The photo instantly went viral.

The internet exploded. The photo spread across social media. Memes poured out like wildfire. The jokes about Samsung's "secret agent" in enemy territory were probably the most harmless. It seemed like, well, we'd have a laugh and forget about it. A great excuse for the company to show off its sense of humor, right?

Turns out, no. Apple's management didn't appreciate the humor. Not at all.

"Sam, we forbid you from being Sam."

This is where things get interesting, and frankly, a little scary. Apple's management's reaction wasn't just stern—it was absurd. Instead of laughing along with everyone else, the company saw the incident as a PR threat.

For Apple, known for its almost maniacal control over its image, any mention of its main competitor, Samsung, inside the "holy of holies" (its own store) was tantamount to an emergency. Even if that "competitor" was just the name of a living person.

What did they do? They banned Sam from using his real name to clients. They confiscated all his business cards. Just imagine: you show up for work and are told your birth name is now "not in line with company policy."



Life After the "Hype"

Sam himself obviously didn't find this story funny. Working in an environment where your name was considered a liability was, to put it mildly, uncomfortable. He found himself the center of attention, something he never wanted. The constant jokes and sidelong glances took their toll.

A year later, he quit.

But internet memes have a long lifespan. This "viral fame" haunted him. As he himself admitted to Business Insider reporters, but only 12 years later, the pressure from this story proved more severe than working at Apple itself. Ultimately, he took an extreme step that perfectly illustrates the depth of the problem: he legally changed his last name.

Now he's Sam Struan. He just wanted to be left alone.



While the man now has no regrets about what happened, he would advise his former self to take the situation with humor and not worry about work.