Fired engineer says Apple was previously aware of his writing

Antonio Garcia Martinez, the former Apple Inc. engineer who was fired in the wake of an employee protest over his past comments about women, said the company was previously aware of the writing that ultimately led to his dismissal.

“Apple was well aware of my writing before hiring me,” Garcia Martinez wrote on Twitter Friday, his first public comments since leaving the iPhone maker earlier this week. “My references were questioned extensively about my bestselling book and my real professional persona (rather than literary one).” The ex-Apple engineer also said that he was “fired by Apple in a snap decision” and that he “upended” his life to join the Cupertino, California-based company.