When Cher Scarlett began speaking up about labor issues at Apple Inc., she knew she was at risk of losing her software engineering job, but was confident she could find another.

Yet two years after her departure from the iPhone maker, Scarlett says she has struggled to secure employment, lending credence to fears among many tech workers about the consequences of whistleblowing. Scarlett was feeling optimistic after she had an interview at Mozilla Corp. in 2021, which left her with the impression that she was the company’s first choice for a job. Ultimately, though, the process went nowhere.