Who know that technology could be so cool and so cutting edge that it could kill you. Well, the technology itself does not kill you, but it is a leading factor in today’s story. For badly beaten and bruised Sun Danyong (how cool would it be if your name was Sun) his life came to an end much too soon. Sun committed suicide this week. And he did so in an unsightly fashion. But why?
A little about Sun before we go on shall we? Sun was working for Foxconn, one of Apple’s largest manufacturers located in China. (Go figure that an American company had it’s biggest manufacturer in China.) He was a young, freshly graduated engineer and was starting his career off on the right path by focusing on the future; in hand held devices and their structures and technologies. And while working for Foxconn Sun had the chance to not only be surrounded by Apple products on a daily basis, but part of his job description consisted of packing and shipping new never before seen Apple prototypes. This is a big deal as Apple likes to keep their products under wraps as long as they can and only discuss them whenever necessary. This, according to Apple (as if they need an excuse) causes consumer anticipation and increased sales. Guess what, I was buying an iPhone either way. So if you want to use that to prove your point, then go ahead.
But Sun was involved in the shipment of a new prototype project when 16 of the devices were to be shipped. A few weeks after shipment it was brought to Foxconn’s attention that only 15 of the devices had arrived. Guess who had the 16th device? You got, Sun had the other missing jewel. Sun had stolen the device and had been caught. (I am sorry, but if there are so few devices in this shipment, do you not think that taking just one would be insanely obvious? Seems that way to me. But whatever, he got caught in the end so it does not really matter.)
But what does matter is the phone call that Sun had with a close friend only moments before his death. While on the phone he told his friend that he had been badly beaten by a member of the Foxconn security staff. However, after his disappearance, Foxconn, knowing that one of the missing devices was in Sun’s possession, began a search to bring some answers to the table. Sun was found three days after the initial search began next to a 12 story building from which he jumped from the top. Sun was only twenty-five years old.
Friends are claiming to have had conversations with Sun in an online chat room not days before he was found dead. The friends call him a guy with “everything to live for” and that he would never do anything like this. Outside of the fact he was young, he had all the talent and potential in the world, again, according to close friends. In this said chat session Sun had mentioned that he was questioned and locked in a dark and cold room for hours by Foxconn a couple of days prior. He was being questioned about the location of the device. It would later come to find that his entire apartment had been ripped apart by none other than the folks at Foxconn. (The BBC has recently reported that Foxconn has been, in the past, accused of mistreatment to their employees and have had several investigations brought upon them from previous employees.)
Apple claims to be saddened by this tragic event. (See, people other than celebrities are dying. So there, it is not a conspiracy after all.) They are claiming that a full fledged investigation will begin immediately and all unanswered questions will not go unattended. But what will an investigation prove? He jumped from a 12 story building to an obvious death only a few days after getting caught for having possession (I can not say stolen because that has not yet been proven) of a prototype piece of hardware. Is there any doubt as to why he “killed” himself?
I think if there is any investigation that needs to be going on it should be against Foxconn. They are the ones that claim the device was missing. They are the ones that are pinning this on Sun. And they are the ones whose name is brought up time and time again when it comes to the final words of this too young aspiring educated man. Sounds kind of like a conspiracy to me. I can just see it now. You have seen movies like this before. The good guy does something bad, the big mighty corporation goes after the individuals first, then the families, and two hours of drama and violence are sure to follow leaving you confused as to why someone would do something so stupid. And they all end the same way too, someone dies for the crime committed whether it be good guy or bad guy. Well, did Sun jump from that building or was he thrown just like in the movies?
Either way you look at it, this just goes to show that the iPhone is to die for.
