“Apple is defending CEO Steve Jobs as the company is under investigation by the feds,” David Morgenstern writes for eWeek. “To some, he is Apple. But could the company make do without its very public leader? …Concern on the street grew in December that Jobs’ tenure may come to an end, not by a coup by the board of directors as happened in 1985, but from legal troubles around stock options and perhaps a cover-up.”
“In the street’s imagination, Apple is Jobs. Or perhaps the other way around: Jobs is Apple. Whatever. This theory is still all about Jobs cracking the whip in Cupertino and speaking the Mac gospel to the public at the annual Macworld Expo and Apple Worldwide Developer Conference keynotes,” Morgenstern writes. “But is that right? Is this personal identification necessary for the continued success of Apple?”
“Tt would be difficult to target Apple strategic decisions over the past 10 years where Jobs didn’t make a personal difference. So, the Apple-Jobs/Jobs-Apple identification isn’t hooey,” Morgenstern writes. “However, looking through the long list of accomplishments over the decade, it seems to me that there were a small number of decisions and events that only Jobs could carry out and be successful. These were moments—most in the early part of his latest tenure—that relied upon Jobs’ authenticity as a founder of the company as well as the communication that he still had a personal stake in Apple’s direction.”
Morgenstern’s shortlist for these crucial events:
• Reassuring the Mac base: In the summer of 1997… Jobs took the stage of the Boston Macworld Expo… The most reassuring thing to many that day was that Apple would settle its ongoing patent lawsuit with Microsoft, with Redmond guaranteeing Mac versions of Office for another five years. There were other parts of the deal, including a minor investment ($150 million) by Microsoft in Apple stock.
• Reassuring developers
• The transition to Intel
“To succeed, Apple must continue to execute on its plans. That’s what Jobs said in 1997. And that can be accomplished without Steve Jobs,” Morgenstern writes. “Please note that I’m not saying Apple would be better off without Jobs. No way. He’s amazing and entertaining. I wish him only health and job security for the years ahead. But the current FUD around his status should stop.”
Full article here.
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Apple Insider..
LOL
Or rather question is: “can hedge funds make money off AAPL stock without FUD?” Obviously, not.
I get very tired of so-called journalists and others making stupid hypotheticals like this… How many times is this question going to be asked in one year, for crying out loud!!
“Gracie” — when Steve Jobs delivers the keynote next week, would you prefer your crow sauteed, broiled, or barbecued?
Jobs learned his lesson — when he does decide to leave, he’s going to have a good replacement in mind; he knows now that you can’t just put a sugar water salesman in to sell computers.
And whoever replaces him is going to have as the motto: “If it ain’t broke, don’t f— with it.” Steve’s leaving a clear path to follow — all they have to do is keep the trail clear…
We tried a “Jobless” Apple. It didn’t work.
I’d be surprised if it would work the second time. A remote possibility if the right people like maybe Ives were in control, but it’s a gambol.
Anyone can replace Bill Gates and get the same lousy results.
Jobs is a VERY different kind of entity.
after reading David Sobotta article today about Steve, I doubt anyone could actually fill those shoes…
Without Steve Jobs, Apple could thrive selling tons of the products that Apple has created under Steve’s guidance; but Apple can’t innovate without Steve’s guiding vision. No way. Designers can invent beautiful curves once the spark of an idea is planted in their craniums; engineers can figure out how to cram more and more components into smaller and smaller spaces. But none of them would have even the slightest idea what to build without Steve’s vision. In my book, he’s a true original and quite irreplaceable.
MacBill said:“NOBODY in the ENTIRE CORPORATE WORLD, from ANY public company, has the VISION & the COMMON SENSE & the STYLE & the RESTRAINT that Steve Jobs has in his product designs.”
I remember seeing Jobs, at some keynote or other a few years ago, angrily hurling a recalcitrant digital camera at a flunky off-camera. I would have strangled him had he done it to me. Or half an hour later thrown it back at him hard to enough to knock him out. He can be as bad as Ballmer, and Ballmer doesn’t throw chairs on stage.
Apple would survive, however, they would need to locate a charasmatic leader like Steve Jobs to keep the juice pumping. It’s one of the disadvatages of being a niche player.
Keep in mind when your a monopoly, like MicroSoft, any old leader will do as long as they know how to count. Microsoft doesn’t have to innovate or keep their customers happy to keep the money comping in. They literally have corporate America by the balls. If MicroSoft sneezes, corporate America gets a cold or the flu. It’s not a wise position to be in when your in a competitive marketplace.
Steve is a showman and pitchman for Apple and as such brings a lot of positive attention to the company. He probably champions some ideas and finds ways to politically manuver them through the process. Without a visionary the company would probably fade into extention.
The negative side of being Apple is that you can never stop innovating. It’s also the positive side as well. Microsoft will continue to copy and nothing will change. Apple really does need to get a foothold in the door of corporate america since many people are truly lemings and can’t think beyound what they use at work. I can’t tell you how many ignorant people I meet who use PCs. They barely even know how to turn them on much less use them.
“Without Steve Jobs, Apple would fail. Or at the VERY BEST, they would become just like every other Cingular, Microsoft, Dell, HP, Motorola, etc. These other companies don’t get it at all.”
So when Steve retires or dies, Apple’s done? Enjoy your few final years of Mac usage then.
“Steve waltzes into Disney and takes over. Child’s play for him. Disney buys Apple. “
He won’t go unless legally required to, and then he wouldn’t be able to do anything at Disney either.
“Steve Jobs is going to best Bill Gates. This fight is Shakespearean, elemental, and emotional; watching it unfold should be the most fascinating business story of this young millennium.”
Except after dominating the PC landscape, Bill is now off on a new quest, end poverty disease, while Steve just makes PCs and music players.
Steve’s a few tens of billions behind in setting up his own global charitable foundation.
Bill is now off on a new quest, end poverty disease, while Steve just makes PCs and music players.
He saves millions in income taxes by “giving” his money away, and his “gifts” have strings attached. “Here’s a computer. Here’s Windoze XP, but only the first one’s free, kid.”
“Here’s Windoze XP, but only the first one’s free, kid.””
Are you saying all the Aids drugs and seed and food include Windows XP embedded?
Bill Won, Steve is still trying to catch up with Bill’s Microsoft success, let-alone move on to the next level.