Apple has agreed to pay US$150,000 to settle a religious discrimination lawsuit involving a former Apple Genius who alleged that he was dismissed after requesting time off to observe the Jewish Sabbath, or Shabbat.
According to court documents reported by 9to5Mac, the settlement also requires Apple to provide religious discrimination training to relevant employees. However, the company did not admit wrongdoing as part of the settlement.
The lawsuit was originally filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in September 2025 following the employee’s termination. Apple maintained that the employee was dismissed for failing to meet the company’s grooming standards, while the employee alleged that his termination was connected to his requests for religious accommodation.
The former Apple Genius had worked for the company for approximately 16 years and reportedly had a strong performance record. After converting to Judaism in 2023, he began requesting an accommodation to avoid working from sunset on Friday through Saturday evening so he could observe Shabbat.
According to the allegations, the employee’s requests were repeatedly denied. Complaints regarding his grooming subsequently arose, and he was eventually terminated after requesting time off for a religious holiday.
Under the settlement, US$80,000 of the payment will be treated as back pay and subject to taxation, while the remaining US$70,000 will cover damages and interest. Apple has 30 days to issue the payments to the former employee.
The settlement brings the case to a close without an admission of liability by Apple, while also highlighting the legal challenges employers can face when workplace policies intersect with employees’ religious practices and accommodation requests.
Kuo Casts Doubt on Reports of $1 Billion Apple Chip Stockpile at TSMC
Market rumors claiming that TSMC is holding a US$1 billion stockpile of Apple chips due to a shortage of memory components have been questioned by prominent Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.
The global memory supply crisis has created challenges across the technology supply chain, affecting both component availability and pricing. However, Kuo believes claims that TSMC has accumulated a massive inventory of unfinished Apple processors may not accurately reflect the situation.
In a post dated August 10, TF Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo addressed reports that TSMC had built up a stockpile of Apple’s 2nm chips, reportedly worth around US$1 billion. The alleged inventory consists of processor wafers intended for semi-finished products that have yet to complete the packaging process.
According to the market rumor, the issue stems from a shortage of DRAM memory. Apple’s processors require memory to be integrated during the packaging process, and insufficient memory supplies could potentially leave manufactured chips waiting before they can be completed.
The rumor appears to have been partly linked to comments made during TSMC’s Q2 2026 earnings call, where the company reported increased inventory days as it ramped up production of its advanced 2nm process technology.
However, Kuo has questioned whether this explanation makes sense given the close supply-chain relationship between Apple and TSMC. He argues that the two companies engage in extensive production planning, making it unlikely that TSMC would manufacture a massive quantity of processors without considering the availability of the memory components required to complete them.
Kuo did acknowledge that his industry research indicates Apple’s hardware shipment forecasts for 2026 have been reduced due to memory shortages, suggesting that the supply problem itself is genuine.
The key issue with the US$1 billion stockpile claim is the way Apple’s processor orders are planned. According to Kuo, Apple typically places processor orders with TSMC around three months in advance, with production volumes determined in coordination with available memory supplies.
This planning process makes it unlikely that TSMC would unexpectedly find itself holding a huge quantity of Apple processors that cannot be packaged because of insufficient memory.
While memory shortages are clearly putting pressure on Apple and other technology companies, Kuo’s assessment suggests that the reported US$1 billion TSMC chip stockpile should be treated as a market rumor rather than a confirmed supply-chain crisis involving Apple’s processors.
Apple Settles Discrimination Lawsuit Involving Employee Who Converted to Judaism
