- Ben Stiller, the ‘Severance’ director and EP, sees similarities between Lumon Industries and Apple.
- Stiller discussed the hit AppleTV+ series with Apple exec Eddy Cue at SXSW in Austin.
- ‘Severance’ Season 2 is currently airing and explores themes of corporate culture and capitalism.
Ben Stiller, the executive producer and director of the AppleTV+ series “Severance,” said he sees similarities between the fictitious corporation in his show and the real-life global tech giant Apple Inc.
“Severance” follows a group of employees at Lumon Industries whose work is so mysterious that their work personas (or “innies”) are medically severed from their outside selves (or “outies”) with a small chip implanted in their brains.
The series, which is in the midst of airing its second season, offers striking visuals and a nuanced take on corporate culture, the impacts of capitalism, and the depth of human emotion.
Stiller spoke about the show with Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Services (including AppleTV+), at the 2025 SXSW Conference & Festivals in Austin, Texas.
“I think we were lucky in that when we started out, you guys gave us a lot of creative freedom,” Stiller said.
Stiller suggested that Apple has similar mysterious qualities that draw the viewer into Lumon in “Severance.”
He’s not the first one to point this out. Fans have previously drawn comparisons between the two companies, such as the circular architecture at their respective headquarters and the reverence allotted to their company founders.
“It’s funny because people talk about, ‘Oh wow, you know, Apple is a huge corporation, and Lumon is a huge corporation,'” Stiller said.
He added that it is “the perfect show to be on Apple” because of its aesthetic and mystery of “what’s going on” in the company — similar to Apple.
“But I’ve never once ever gotten any, you know, like note or anything from Apple about anything we do, and I feel like there’s an intrigue about Apple,” Stiller said. “By the way, how is Apple doing? Because sometimes I worry, are you guys doing okay?”
Cue said Apple is doing great and working on creating “new things that people really love.”
Spokespersons for AppleTV+ did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment.
Throughout the second season’s airing, fans have taken to social media in a frenzy to assemble theories about different aspects of the plot.
As the show progresses, Lumon’s mission and objectives become increasingly sinister, and Adam Scott’s Mark Scout tries to piece together the mystery behind his workplace and his severed memories.
Business Insider secured quotes from the interview via live closed captions from SXSW’s website.
