In the world of tech, irony often makes headlines—and few stories capture it better than that of Sam Sung, the Apple employee who unintentionally became an internet sensation. Over a decade ago, his Apple business card went viral for a reason as simple as it was amusing: his name sounded like that of Apple’s fiercest rival, Samsung.

The year was 2012 when someone stumbled upon a business card reading “Sam Sung – Apple Specialist” at a Vancouver store in Canada. Within hours, the image spread across the internet, sparking laughter, memes, and endless jokes about corporate rivalry. But behind the viral moment was a real person trying to navigate sudden and unwanted fame.

In a recent interview with a popular publication, Sam—who now goes by Sam Straun—shared how the incident unexpectedly upended his quiet life. “I was at my part-time job when my phone started ringing nonstop. For a moment, I thought something terrible had happened in my family,” he recalled. “Then I found out I had gone viral on Reddit—a platform I hadn’t even heard of at the time.”

Sam had joined Apple years earlier, first working at a store in Glasgow, Scotland, where his name drew no special attention. But things changed after his transfer to Vancouver. When the photo of his card spread online, Apple headquarters quickly took notice. Although the company didn’t fire him, the management decided to take him off the sales floor. “A reporter had reached out, and soon after that, I was told to step back from customer-facing duties,” Straun said. “Even my coworkers were told not to identify me.”

Despite his initial fear of losing his job, Sam believes Apple handled the situation carefully. “If they had fired me, it would have blown up even more,” he admitted. “It was actually safer for them to just keep me employed quietly.”

The incident lingered for months, and Sam did his best to stay low-profile. His Scottish accent often worked in his favour—many people who called the store couldn’t connect his voice to the viral story. Still, the experience left him anxious. “I just wanted to keep my head down and stay employed,” he said.

A year later, Sam decided it was time to move on. When he left Apple, he also left behind the name Sam Sung. Adopting Straun, inspired by a small village in Scotland, he hoped to start fresh without being remembered as “the internet’s favourite irony.”

In a thoughtful gesture, Sam auctioned off his original Apple business card, raising $2,500 for charity. Looking back, he wishes he had embraced the humour instead of panicking. “I wish I’d just laughed about it more,” he said.

Even now, though, the name Sam Sung refuses to fade completely. “My friends and family still have me saved as that in their phones,” he laughed. “They just won’t change it—even after all these years.”