This article is by Shin Hye-yeon and read by an artificial voice.



Sam Sung, the internet star who went viral as "Samsung working in Apple Store," reportedly changed his name.

Business Insider reported last Thursday that the former Apple retail worker, once known as Sam Sung, now goes by the name Sam Struan.

Struan recalled the moment his name became known around the world. In 2012, he was working as a specialist at an Apple Store in Vancouver, Canada - a full-time position responsible for customer service, product education and sales.

"I was working at my other part-time job, and my phone started ringing like crazy," said Struan. "I thought a family member had died. I peeked and saw a text from someone saying I'd gone viral on Reddit, and they sent me a link." Struan said he didn't even know what Reddit was at the time.

Though he tried to ignore the attention, calls soon began flooding the Apple Store where he worked, asking whether a "Sam Sung" was actually employed there. When reporters started to show up, the store removed him from the sales floor and told colleagues not to reveal his identity.

"I had just moved to a new country. I was early in my career, and my first thought was that someone had posted online about me, involving work, and I was going to get fired," said Struan. "Looking back, it's funny because I probably had the most job security I've ever had. If Apple had fired me, it would've caused even more commotion."

Before moving to Canada, he had worked at an Apple Store in Glasgow, Scotland.



A year after the incident, Struan left Apple and changed his name. "I hadn't considered adopting a new name before I went viral, but that moment changed everything," said Struan. "It's not like being known for doing great work or being a philanthropist; it was just an online joke."

The new surname comes from a village in Scotland. He now works as a recruitment consultant. He also once auctioned off his Apple business card bearing the name Sam Sung and donated the $2,500 proceeds to charity.

"I was pretty involved in the charity, which was why I did it," Struan said. "It was nice to take a moment that felt so personally terrifying, even though it was just a silly joke, and do something good with it."

Despite the change, his family and old friends still call him Sam Sung.

"Even though it's been over 10 years, people still call me Sam Sung in their phones," said Struan. "They just refuse to change it, including my sister. To be honest, my parents don't care too much."

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.