San Francisco, May 13 (IANS): Apple, which hired ex-Facebook product manager Antonio Garcia Martinez, has now fired him following public and internal calls for removal and investigation due to the alleged misogynistic statements he made in the past.

Martinez authored a controversial book about Silicon Valley where he expressed misogynistic views on women, The Verge reported.

"We are deeply concerned about the recent hiring of Antonio Garcia Martinez," employees wrote in the petition.

More than 2,000 employees signed the petition before it was published by The Verge.

Shortly after the petition began circulating internally at Apple, Martinez's Slack account was deactivated.

The ad platforms team was called into an emergency meeting where it was confirmed Martinez would no longer be working at the company.

In a statement emailed to The Verge, an Apple spokesperson said: "At Apple, we have always strived to create an inclusive, welcoming workplace where everyone is respected and accepted. Behaviour that demeans or discriminates against people for who they are has no place here."