Apple's penchant for secrecy extends even to its new hires, who often come aboard without knowing which product they'll be working on, and go through a period where they're evaluated for trustworthiness. In his book Inside Apple, Fortune editor Adam Lashinsky says many employees are hired into "dummy positions," which are...

...roles that aren't explained in detail until after they join the company. The new hires have been welcomed but not yet indoctrinated and aren't necessarily to be trusted with information as sensitive as their own mission. "They wouldn't tell me what it was," remembered a former engineer who had been a graduate student before joining Apple. "I knew it was related to the iPod, but not what the job was." Others do know but won't say, a realization that hits the newbies on their first day of work at new-employee orientation.

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jmUhZ6wt3Oo&w=560&h=315]

Updated Feb. 8, 2012, to restore video.