Some Cupertino Neighbors Miffed About Not Getting Apple Park Event Invitations
CUPERTINO (KPIX) -- For Apple, it was meant to be an olive branch -- an opportunity for neighbors who endured the inconvenience of construction to get a close-up look at the company's innovative "spaceship" campus.
But this weekend's invitation-only event at the company's Cupertino campus has instead created a backlash among many neighbors who were left off the coveted guest list.
"It looks really cool. The building looks really modern at least from the street view. So, I'd definitely be interested in a tour," said Atharva Shende, whose family lives about a mile from the campus but was not invited.
"It's a little frustrating because, if you think about it, just by Apple being there the overall housing price in this area has increased a lot. Rents have increased too. And that affects everyone in the community," Shende said.
A spokesperson for the Apple says the company invited some its closest neighbors and earliest supporters, but would not say how many people were invited in total or how it was determined who made the list and who didn't.
But much like the debut of new iPhone, there was a lot more interest than actual invitations.
"I'm absolutely excited. I've looked at Google satellite images many times. So, I'm very interested to see what it looks like inside," said area resident Richie Been.
Apple's campus reportedly cost $5 billion and took several years to build. Many neighbors said they patiently endured the inconvenience of construction and would have liked to have been rewarded with an invitation.
"It's disappointing. But getting offended for not getting invited. That's not me. It's really not," said Sharon Elkayam.
It's just not clear Friday night if there will be an opportunity for a future visit to the campus for people who were left off the guest list this time.