Apple is trying to block a book about the App Store by one of its former employees

Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images for RFK Human Rights

Apple CEO Tim Cook.

• Apple is reportedly trying to block a book about the App Store by a former employee containing what it calls "business secrets."
• The book, "App Store Confidential" details how an app can become successful in the App Store, plus author Tom Sadowski's own experiences at Apple.
• Sadowski and his publisher claim that Apple has sent cease-and-desist letters, according to German reports.
• In a statement sent to BI, Apple said it had terminated Sadowski's employment.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Apple is reportedly trying to block a book that might give away the keys to its kingdom, the App Store.

According to German media reports, Apple is trying to block the distribution of a book containing what it reportedly describes as "business secrets."

The book is called "App Store Confidential" and is authored by Tom Sadowski, who led Apple's App Store for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland from 2014 until December 2019 according to his LinkedIn profile.

At the time of writing, the Kindle edition of the book is still for sale on Amazon.com for $14.57, having first been published on February 18. The book has no user reviews on Amazon at present.

As reported by German publication Der Zeit on Wednesday, Sadowski and his publisher claim Apple lawyers have asked them to stop delivering the book to stores, recall all copies in circulation, and destroy all manuscripts of the book, as it contains "business secrets" of "considerable economic value."

According to the book's description on Amazon, the book reveals how an app in the App Store becomes successful, what "dos and don'ts" apply when working with Apple, as well as detailing Tom Sadowski's personal experiences in the app business and meetings with Apple CEO Tim Cook.

In Wednesday's Der Zeit article, Sadowski also told the publication he thought Apple "would not be enthusiastic" about the book, but he admitted being surprised by the "toughness" with which Apple's now reportedly acting against him, and denied intending to write a "revelation book."

Apple has not confirmed that it is trying to block the book's distribution but did say it had fired Sadowski.

In a statement sent to BI, the company said: "Apple has long promoted a free press and supported authors of all types. While we regret the way this longstanding Apple employee violated our working relationship, his actions left us with no other option but to terminate his employment - a decision agreed upon by the works council.

"All workers should have the reasonable expectation that employment policies will be equally and fairly applied and all companies should have the reasonable expectation that their business practices will be kept confidential," it added.

Apple is willing to sue employees it believes threaten its competitive advantage.

In December 2019, it filed a lawsuit against its former lead chip designer, Gerard Williams, for planning or engaging in business activities that are "competitive with or directly related to Apple's business or products," thereby breaking the terms of his employment agreement.

In February of that year, Williams had left Apple to found his own firm, Nuvia, which designs processors for use in data centers.

Business Insider has approached Sadowski for comment.

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