The first day!

As you can imagine a great time was had by all and we knew we had to get to 1 Infinite Loop in the am, 9am. We didn't get to bed till after 10pm. So it was over 20 hours and about that many beers, but we were all awake and ready to start. We arrived and parked in a unassuming parking spot and headed into the campus. We had to show something to the folks at the front desk but it was pretty easy to get in. We were ushered into a hallway to the right of the main desk. We waited and were greeted by a woman who asked us to stand against the wall. After a few moments she opened the door. This was my first experience with the "Clap-In". To this day, this is how Apple welcomes people, and says goodbye, with the "Clap-Out". It was an unbelievable experience, having never been apart of something like this it was emotional. Really emotional, and inspiring. I had goosebumps and looking at all these people, about 15+ in the room smiling and clapping they were so excited for us to be there, it was something I wont forget, ever. There was something so primal and basic about this clap-in and how truly happy these folks were to see us. Fast forward to 2015 where we would clap customers in to the store every morning, I loved it, I remembered how I felt being clapped in. You can call it corny or stupid or whatever. Your missing the point. One of the things that I love about Apple is the enthusiasm, the passion and the idea of a new beginning. We did it then and they do it now, in every Apple store. Go ahead, be the first couple customers at an Apple store on a Tuesday morning, if they clap you in, it feels great. Its not just clapping, its high-fives and cheering. I may have worked there for 14+ years but every clap-in was meaningful for me. Its one of those special things I cherished about the company and working there. We gave a shit, it mattered and it was/is important.

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As usual, I wax reminiscent. Thinking about these moments takes me back to the innocence we were experiencing. We had no idea, no clue of what was going to happen. We were just all in.

Back to the clap-in, it ends and, everyone gets very quiet. Apparently Steve Jobs had been showing up to these things each week and they were anticipating him to arrive. The woman next to me, as we all were still standing, said "last week we showed up in these cut off jeans and it had so many holes I was worried about stuff, you know." Sorry lady, I didn't know, not yet. We waited and sadly no Steve. We sat down and got started. Ground rules. #1 don't bother Steve. Get your badge and don't wander. Have fun! Off to badging.