The full text of Jamie’s statement on Monday

Editor’s note: This article is from WeChat public account “iFeng Technology” (ID: ifeng_tech), author Xiao Yu.

Apple Credit Card is alleged to be sexist

The Apple Card’s alleged gender discrimination has been raging in the United States recently, and the parties to the incident issued a statement on Monday responding to speculation. She said that she applied for an Apple credit card because she cares about digital privacy, but she has not been treated fairly by Apple. Apple should not succumb to the algorithm and should do better.

On November 7, David Heinemeier Hansson, the technology entrepreneur and web application framework Ruby on Rails founder, shared a disturbing story on Twitter.

David said Apple credit card discriminates against his wife, Jamie Heinemeier Hansson. David said that he and his wife Jamie applied for an Apple credit card, but he received 20 times the credit limit of his wife, even if the husband and wife jointly filed a tax return, and the wife’s credit score was higher.

When they contacted Apple’s customer service, Apple’s customer service representative attributed the difference in the credit line between the two to the black box algorithm, and then increased Jamie’s credit limit to David’s level without asking for more information.

Then, David’s tweet was rumored online, including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, and many others said they were also applying for an Apple credit card. I have experienced a similar experience. Wozniak said his Apple credit card is 10 times the amount of his wife, even if they share all bank accounts and assets.

“Apple gave a customer experience and reputation as an inclusive company to a biased, gender-discriminatory algorithm that they didn’t understand, couldn’t judge, and couldn’t control.” David wrote on Twitter. Road.

David’s tweet

The Goldman Sachs Group issued an Apple Credit Card in conjunction with Apple in August this year. It said in a statement: “We don’t have it, and we don’t make decisions based on factors such as gender.” Carey Halio, CEO of Goldman Sachs retail banking, said it would reassess Apple’s credit line.

David believes that Apple should not transfer responsibility for gender discrimination to Goldman Sachs because he feels that he is not a customer of Goldman Sachs, but an Apple customer.

Apple declined to comment. According to reports, since David shared his story, the New York Financial Services Authority has launched an investigation into Apple’s credit card.

After David publicly shared their couple’s experience with Apple’s credit card application, his wife, Jamie, also posted a blog post on Monday, responding to some speculations about her.

The following is the full text of Jamie’s statement:

I am Jamie.

Since my husband David shared my unfortunate and ridiculous experience in applying for an Apple credit card on Twitter, I (or my credibility) has been the focus of many speculations. Unlike David, I am a very lonely person. I don’t like to post on social media. I am a bit ashamed of my name appearing in the news. However, in order to avoid being a docile housewife who is not seen as a voice for myself, I would like to make the following statement:

I care about digital privacy: This is what I originally wanted to apply for an Apple credit card.

I care about transparency and fairness: That’s why I’m deeply dissatisfied with the “this is the algorithm” and “this is your credit score” that Apple’s customer representatives responded to. My credit history in the US is far better than David. I have never had a late payment and no debt. I shared all my financial accounts with David, and my credit score is very high, better than David.

Before I met David, I had a successful career. Although I am now a mother of three children and have to call myself a “housewife” on the tax return, I am still a millionaire and have made a major contribution to my family, full monthly. Repayment of credit. However, the Apple customer service representative did not want to hear this at all, nor gave me any explanation. My defense is useless.

I care about equality: That’s why I told David that he can post a tweet to announce the matter, even if the credit line is increased.Whether it is important to my life. But in a world that still seems to be that women are not as successful as men or credit is equally reliable, it is important for women who are difficult to start a business. At the same time, it is important for trying to get rid of insulted women, important for ethnic minorities who are hurt by institutional bias, and important for many people. Therefore, it is very important to me.

I care about fairness and justice for everyone: This is when Apple’s credit card manager told me that she had noticed David’s tweet and raised my credit line without any real explanation. Why? I will feel pressure and guilt for the ridiculous benefits I enjoy. So many women (and men) shared their inequitable stories when they applied for a credit card when they responded to David’s tweets.

This is not just a story about gender discrimination and black box credit algorithms, but also about how the rich can achieve what they want. For another rich white woman, justice cannot be said.

I care about businesses and people doing the right thing: We can’t succumb to algorithms and can’t keep sliding into the “black mirror” world. (Note: The TV series “Black Mirror” explores people and technology. relationship). Apple can and should do better than it does now, and we should all do better than we do now.

The last thing I want to say is that I understand the setbacks of women and ethnic minorities. They have been publicly shouting for years, but they have not received the attention like me. I don’t want to be the protagonist who ignited this fire, but I am glad that it can cause a sensation. I may not be active on social media, but I am not a silent person.

My arguments and dialogues with David and the world, and my observations, are often the source of David’s tweets. We have nurtured three sons together, and you should be convinced that the education they received was from a mother who had the same opinion and level as their father. On this topic, I agree with David’s point of view. I am glad that his broad platform and my Apple credit card issue can cause a nationwide discussion of institutional biases, black box algorithms, and broken credit industry systems.

This is not a story about me. Smart women are spread across social media and use their voices to get a better way out. Hear what they say.