Apple’s big 50th birthday party ended with a flex only Cupertino could pull off: Sir Paul McCartney playing Beatles hits under the rainbow arch at Apple Park, as employees lined up around the campus for a private, late-night show and a quick burst of fireworks over the ring.
Sky7 cameras caught a snaking line of staffers heading into the campus on last night, all waiting for a shot at witnessing some workplace bragging rights that will be tough to top.
According to ABC7, McCartney’s set included sing-along staples like “Hey Jude,” “Help!” and “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da.” CEO Tim Cook later posted a short video on social media thanking “our teams, our users, and everyone who’s been part of the journey,” while Apple’s anniversary hub and Cook’s open letter, titled “50 Years of Thinking Different,” lay out the company’s global slate of events and themes for the milestone, per Apple Newsroom.
Local coverage and employee posts filled in the color around the edges. AppleInsider shared clips of McCartney’s soundcheck and the stage rising under the Apple Park arches, while Macworld offered a look inside the commemorative gift bags handed to lucky attendees. The swag reportedly included a limited-edition T-shirt, an enamel pin, and a poster stamped with Apple’s 50th-anniversary artwork.
What He Played And The Setup
Staff videos and tech-site reporting show McCartney working through a compact, career-spanning run of Beatles favorites and solo material tailored to the employee-only crowd. AppleInsider noted that Tim Cook brought him onstage by calling McCartney “a songwriter, a pioneer and one of the most influential artists of all time.” Footage posted online captured the set beneath the Apple Park arches, along with reactions from across the sprawling campus.
Global Parties, Local Perks
Apple’s 50th has played out as a rolling, worldwide series of events, from Alicia Keys performing at Apple Grand Central in New York to Mumford & Sons at Apple Battersea in London, with the Cupertino finale reserved for employees, according to the company and press coverage. Apple Newsroom outlines the broader anniversary program along with Cook’s message about Apple’s history and where the company sees itself heading next.
For many on campus, the McCartney closer was a rare bit of showbiz baked into the workday, a dramatic coda to weeks of anniversary programming. The company kept the finale private, but between staff-shot video, local reporting and its own carefully packaged anniversary materials, Apple still managed to turn a corporate party into something that felt an awful lot like a public spectacle, Cupertino-style.
