Earlier this week Apple CEO Tim Cook tells company employees that the company is hunting for leakers by leaving a message for leakers “You do not belong here, and we will find you.”

As per The Verge, Cook was upset by two announcements he made at an all-hands meeting last week on the company’s policy for unvaccinated employees who will have to be tested for COVID-19 on a regular basis.

Cook wrote in an email to Apple employees on Tuesday, seen by The Verge, that he has heard from many employees who are upset by the recent disclosures of the all-hands meeting. He, too, was upset. Cook also mentioned that this comes after the company’s annual September product launch was affected by leaks.

Cook’s email to employees:

Dear Team,

It was great to connect with you at the global employee meeting on Friday. There was much to celebrate, from our remarkable new product line-up to our values driven work around climate change, racial equity, and privacy. It was a good opportunity to reflect on our many accomplishments and to have a discussion about what’s been on your mind.

I’m writing today because I’ve heard from so many of you were incredibly frustrated to see the contents of the meeting leak to reporters. This comes after a product launch in which most of the details of our announcements were also leaked to the press.

I want you to know that I share your frustration. These opportunities to connect as a team are really important. But they only work if we can trust that the content will stay within Apple. I want to reassure you that we are doing everything in our power to identify those who leaked. As you know, we do not tolerate disclosures of confidential information, whether it’s product IP or the details of a confidential meeting. We know that the leakers constitute a small number of people. We also know that people who leak confidential information do not belong here.

As we look forward, I want to thank you for all you’ve done to make our products a reality and all you will do to get them into customers’ hands. Yesterday we released iOS 15, iPadOS 15, and watchOS 8, and Friday marks the moment when we share some of our incredible new products with the world. There’s nothing better than that. We’ll continue to measure our contributions in the lives we change, the connections we foster, and the work we do to leave the world a better place.

Thank you,

Tim

The company also stated that leaked information could have an impact on accessory makers. For example, if accessory makers make accessories for Apple products solely based on leaked information, this does not guarantee that they will function properly with the final version of the product launch, so the answer is that accessory makers will lose money if they are based entirely on leak information.

As we all know, Apple absolutely hates leakers who reveal the company’s secrets to the public, especially regarding its new products, and if any information leaks about their new products, the company will be unhappy and will be unable to surprise customers with product announcements. Keeping secrets is an important part of Apple’s DNA.