Apple’s fitness chief is retiring in the wake of allegations he fostered a toxic workplace and harassed employees — including claims he once joked about sleeping with an Olympic skier.
Jay Blahnik, 57, who served as Apple’s vice president of fitness technologies, allegedly joked during a 2021 meeting about sleeping with Olympic skier Ted Ligety, according to two attendees cited by The New York Times.
He also allegedly suggested that a member of his team secured Ligety’s participation in a fitness feature by offering the Olympian a neck massage, according to accounts relayed by employees and cited by The Times.
Apple was accused of going to significant lengths to shield Blahnik, who helped create popular fitness features on the Apple Watch and later oversaw the company’s Fitness+ service.
The company settled one sexual harassment complaint and declined to discipline him — while allegedly allowing him to remain in charge of the same team and reporting structure tied to the complaints, according to the lawsuit and employee accounts.
Blahnik has also been accused by multiple current and former employees of a broader pattern of toxic behavior, including making comments about trainers’ bodies, using vulgar language about colleagues’ personal lives and joking about alleged affairs among staff.
A lawsuit filed against Blahnik by a former employee alleges that he sexually harassed creative director Wil Tidman for years and pursued him romantically — then retaliated when the interest wasn’t reciprocated.
The complaint claims the conduct began shortly after Tidman’s 2019 hire and escalated into a “campaign of harassment and job-related retaliation.”
Blahnik is alleged to have commented on female trainers’ “rear ends and breasts,” according to multiple employees cited by The Times.
He also allegedly speculated in front of staff that a colleague’s wife had cheated, using a vulgar term while pointing to the couple’s child having a different hair color, the report said.
Blahnik further fueled discomfort with jokes about staff relationships, including quipping during a work call that a male creative director was having an affair with another male producer, former employees told The Times.
The executive also allegedly “leered” at that same creative director and made personal comments about his appearance.
The behavior escalated in 2022, when Blahnik sent the creative director what colleagues described as an “inappropriate and unsettling” text message, according to people familiar with the exchange.
After the alleged incident, the creative director went on medical leave before eventually reaching a settlement with Apple, the report said.
Blahnik’s conduct extended to confrontations in meetings, including one in which he “exploded” and yelled at employee Mandana Mofidi, according to her lawsuit.
Mofidi, who filed suit against Apple and Blahnik in Los Angeles County Superior Court in December 2024, later described the aftermath as “incredibly isolating, humiliating — honestly, scary,” as she alleged retaliation after raising concerns.
Even Apple’s internal review acknowledged problems, according to the lawsuit, with HR officials allegedly describing Blahnik’s conduct as “harsh,” “unsympathetic,” and “probably demotivating,” while noting multiple employees had seen Mofidi crying at work.
Despite that, she was kept in the same reporting structure, the complaint says.
Mofidi ultimately went on medical leave and was diagnosed with PTSD by an Apple Wellness doctor, citing panic attacks, sleep disruption and other physical symptoms, according to the filing.
When she sought to return on the condition she not report to Blahnik, Apple allegedly denied the request and later cut off her system access — leading to what she claims was an effective termination.
Megan Thomas, a New York-based sexual harassment attorney, told The Post the case reflects a broader pattern in workplace discrimination.
“This case highlights a problem I call the Cinderella effect. Employers hold women to a higher standard and require them to work more, while paying them less. When they speak up, they often face retaliation,” Thomas said.
She added that legal action, while daunting, is often necessary to drive accountability.
“It is incredibly difficult to stand up for yourself and sue your employer, but sometimes it is the only way to create real change. The reality is, if this is happening to one woman, it is happening to many. And when one woman stands up, she is not just standing up for herself, she is standing up for others too,” she told The Post.
Nine current and former employees described the workplace as “verbally abusive, manipulative and inappropriate,” with more than 10 workers taking extended mental health or medical leave since 2022, according to the Times.
Apple has denied wrongdoing and said an internal investigation found no evidence to support the claims, though the company settled one complaint alleging sexual harassment.
The Post has sought comment from Apple, Blahnik, Tidman, Ligety and Mofidi.
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