Smith reports, “[Last] week, he got a bit of a reprieve when the SEC closed its civil investigation into the company’s stock options backdating troubles, filing lawsuits against two Apple officials, but not Jobs himself. The Securities and Exchange Commission even praised the Cupertino-based tech giant, calling Apple’s cooperation with the investigation ‘swift, extensive and extraordinary.'”
“However, the cloud over Jobs, who 30 years ago cofounded the company that gave the world Macintosh, iMac and the iPod, hasn’t lifted entirely,” Smith reports.
Smith reports, “There’s still a federal investigation and shareholder lawsuits against the company that could lead to Jobs’ stepping down or even his ouster.
“‘It doesn’t look good for Steve, no matter how you look at it. There’s a reasonable chance that he will get charged. The evidence looks pretty damning,’ said Rob Enderle, founder and principal analyst at San Jose-based Enderle Group, which analyzes the tech industry,” Smith reports.
“Not everyone feels so strongly that Jobs’ future is in doubt. “The case is either weak or the stakes are too low. It seems like there is a strong indication that not much is going to come of (the investigations),” said Christopher Null, a San Francisco-based analyst at Yahoo Tech,” Smith reports.
Smith asks, “However, if the Apple cart were upset, could the company survive without the jeans-wearing Jobs, the company’s public face and spiritual leader?”
Full article here.
When will reporters figure out that calling quote whore Rob Enderle for their articles makes them look as idiotic as Enderle himself? The good news is that if Enderle thinks Jobs is in trouble, then Jobs is almost certainly in the clear.