Severance's Lumon Industries: A Look At The Apple Comparison By Ben Stiller

Aria Freeman

4 min read

Post on May 17, 2025

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Lumon's Technological Sophistication and Apple's Innovation

Lumon Industries boasts a groundbreaking, albeit disturbing, technology: severance. This procedure surgically separates employees' memories and personalities, creating distinct "innies" (work selves) and "outies" (personal selves). This extreme form of compartmentalization mirrors, albeit to a vastly exaggerated degree, the way some corporations, including Apple, strive to separate work and personal life for their employees. Apple’s emphasis on intense focus during working hours and a strong company culture echoes this separation, even if it lacks Lumon's invasive surgical procedure.

• Lumon's innie/outie dichotomy mirrors Apple's compartmentalization of work and personal life (for employees). The intense focus demanded by both environments leads to a separation, though Lumon’s is far more extreme.
• Both prioritize secrecy and proprietary technology. Apple’s reputation for keeping new products under wraps until launch is well-known and parallels Lumon’s obsession with secrecy surrounding its severance process and inner workings.
• Contrast: Lumon uses technology for oppressive control; Apple (ostensibly) for user benefit. The crucial difference lies in the intent. Lumon uses technology to exploit and control its workforce, while Apple’s aim is to create innovative products for consumers, even if criticism of its labor practices persists.

Corporate Culture: Control, Secrecy, and Employee Wellbeing

Lumon's environment is characterized by intense control, secrecy, and a chilling disregard for employee well-being. Employees are monitored, manipulated, and ultimately, dehumanized. While not as extreme, critiques of Apple's corporate culture often mention demanding work environments, a focus on secrecy, and concerns about employee burnout. The pressure to innovate and maintain a competitive edge can lead to intense work cultures, raising ethical questions about employee well-being.

• Lumon's extreme measures (severance procedure) vs. Apple's demanding work culture. The comparison highlights the spectrum of control, from surgical separation to intense work pressure.
• The role of compliance and conformity in both entities. Both Lumon and (to a lesser extent) Apple foster environments that value compliance and conformity over individual expression or dissent.
• Discussion of potential ethical concerns in both contexts. While vastly different in degree, both contexts prompt discussions on ethical considerations around employee treatment, data privacy, and the impact of corporate culture on mental health.

Ben Stiller's Directorial Choices and Their Impact on the Comparison

Ben Stiller's masterful direction in Severance significantly contributes to the unsettling atmosphere of Lumon. His use of stark visuals, muted color palettes, and unnerving sound design enhances the parallels with anxieties about corporate overreach and unchecked technological advancement. The sterile, almost clinical aesthetic of Lumon mirrors the feeling of impersonal corporate structures.

• Specific examples from the show to illustrate the unsettling atmosphere. The repetitive nature of the work, the unsettling elevator sequences, and the overall sterile environment contribute to this feeling.
• How the visuals and tone mirror anxieties about corporate overreach. The show's visuals effectively translate the feeling of being trapped and controlled within a corporate machine.
• The director's intent in drawing parallels (explicit or implicit). While not explicitly stated, the stylistic choices implicitly draw parallels between the fictional Lumon and the potential pitfalls of real-world corporate power structures.

The Crucial Differences: Fiction vs. Reality; Severance as Social Commentary

It's crucial to emphasize the vast difference between the fictional dystopia of Lumon and the reality of Apple. Severance is not a direct indictment of Apple but rather serves as insightful social commentary on workplace ethics, technological advancements, and the potential for corporate power to become oppressive. The show uses hyperbole to highlight the ethical questions surrounding these issues.

• Acknowledging the hyperbole in Lumon's portrayal. Lumon's practices are exaggerated to create a cautionary tale.
• Highlighting the ethical questions Severance raises about technology and the workplace. The show encourages viewers to reflect on the balance between technological advancement, productivity, and the well-being of employees.
• Distinguishing between real-world concerns and fictional exaggerations. The show's power lies in its ability to extrapolate real concerns into a compelling and unsettling narrative.

Severance's Lumon and the Apple Parallel: A Chilling Reflection

In conclusion, while vastly different in scale and methodology, the comparison between Lumon Industries and Apple, as presented in Severance, highlights concerning parallels regarding corporate control, technological advancement, and employee well-being. The show serves as a potent reminder of the ethical considerations surrounding these issues, prompting viewers to reflect on the potential consequences of unchecked corporate power. The crucial difference, however, remains the fictional nature of Lumon's extreme practices. Severance uses this fictional exaggeration to encourage viewers to engage with these ethical questions in the context of real-world corporate structures. Discuss your thoughts on the Lumon-Apple comparison in the comments below!