A former Apple worker who claims he was promised a job for life with the firm is to sue the technology giant.

According to Wayne Goodrich, in a 2005 conversation with co-founder, the late Steve Jobs, he was told the company would always have a job for him.

Goodrich’s complaint, filed in California, notes: “This express promise by Steve Jobs was consistent with a practice that Steve Jobs had, acting on behalf of defendant Apple, of promising job security to certain key employees who worked directly with him for many years.” 

The court will presumably be examining the old question of whether such a verbal agreement is worth the iPad it is written on.