“Google chairman Eric Schmidt is sidestepping discussion of whether he might become the next Apple CEO,” Electronista reports.
“‘In the first place, it’s not appropriate. Steve [Jobs] is still the CEO and I hope he continues forever,’ Schmidt told CNBC in a Monday interview,” Electronista reports.
“In response to whether or not Apple has approached him to make an offer, however, Schmidt would neither confirm or deny the suggestion,” Electronista reports. “‘I’m not going to talk about private conversations with anybody,’ the chairman is quoted as saying.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Retch.
“‘In the first place, it’s not appropriate. Steve [Jobs] is still the CEO and I hope he continues forever,’ Schmidt told CNBC in a Monday interview,” Electronista reports.”
Good. He didn’t say something stupid. Steve Jobs IS CEO. Period.
How pointless… Eric Schmidt will NEVER be Apple’s CEO. He may be Microsoft’s future CEO.
Most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard of in my life.
He wasn’t really dodging it he just couldn’t be heard over the LAUGHTER that erupted after it was even suggested.
schmidt? why don’t the idiots suggest Ballmer as well?
Google was larger than Apple in marketcap a few years ago, today Apple is 100 billion bucks bigger. (312b vs 192b)
think Apple stock fell badly when Steve took sick leave? wait for the real crash if they announce Schmidt…
If that ever came to pass it would be the absolute end of Apple. I can think of few individuals whose product strategy differs more from Steve Jobs than Eric Schmidt. Under his watch , Apple would cease deploying the vertical integration model that has worked so well for it, and everything about the tightly woven well-oiled ecosystem that we we all love will start to crumble.
May it never come to pass.
Let me just assume he becomes the next CEO or, in some position ends up at Apple, It’ll be amazing to have watched him go from respected friend, to ally/mole/idiot and then back to friend/visionary/well respected. Will MDN still write his name as Eric T Mole if he’s an executive at Apple? Doubt it.
If Schmidt become CEO of Apple, I’ll go back to the typewriter.
All my faith in Apple’s board would dissolve should the mole ever become Apple’s CEO. Unfortunately, most of the current board know the mole from his time on the board.
Also, one has to wonder what the google wunderkids think about the mole keeping this talk of another CEO role alive. Looks more and more like the mole is being evicted from his current digs and is using this time to find a new place to call CEO.
May as well get a former pepsi executive…
Never!!
Steve wil be back!!
When hell freezes over …
This would be the end of Apple.
This is one crazy man dream and my worst nightmare. I still remember the early 90’s.
This is such a Apple gossip nonsense..
Quickest way I know to get AAPL back under $100 per share would be to hire this idiot in ANY capacity. Investors would bail immediately.
I’ll drop Apple and just go banana!!!
Please, if you’re going to replace Ballmer, hire Schmidt. Please!
I’m amazed and appalled that he didn’t deny the rumor. Does he seriously think he can make people believe it was discussed with him?
“‘I’m not going to talk about private conversations with anybody,’ the chairman (Schmidt) is quoted as saying.”
Unless it’s from the Apple boardroom and being passed along to the Google Android team.
I know one thing… if Creepy Schmidt ever becomes an executive at Apple, I’m selling all my shares and finding something else to invest in.
I’ll give Schmidt one path and one path only to being the eventual CEO of Apple: Android was a plan hatched by Steve Jobs with Google’s cooperation to rip the oxygen from any other would-be OS (such as Windows Mobile, Symbian, Blackberry, etc.)
And that, my friends, is about as likely as Schmidt becoming Apple’s next CEO (I’m a fan of circular logic).
Only someone well versed in the culture of Apple should ever take over the reigns from Steve Jobs. In my opinion that should be the de facto CEO we see now – Tim Cook.
No fscking way in Hell that douchebag will ever oversee Apple… there is an executive team at Apple that can take of everything, tyvm.
MaWo: ‘ill’. As in, “The thought of ‘Eric T. Backstabber’ as Apple’s CEO makes me…”
this is nothing… or at least it better be.
since this is nothing, this is the perfect place to wonder:
is the ZAGG MATE any good? has anyone bought one yet?
doesn’t seem to be sanctioned by the mothership..
I’m perfectly happy to go on record denying it. C’mon, Eric: I know it’s fun to be coy, but you’re embarrassing yourself by intimating that it’s even Bizarro universe possible.
If Schmidt becomes the CEO of Apple, I will sell all Apple products in my possession and move to a different platform. There is no way I want anyone who has been at the helm of Google to expand their influence on my life beyond where it is today.
Google is evil. Schmidt is one of the main reasons.
Keep taking the happy love-in pills electronista…
@MDN
wretch. not retch.
IF Eric “Mole-Skin-Panties” Schmidt was actually asked that question, it would have been preceded by the questioner being told by Eric Schmidt to ask the question.
ARE YOU F**ING KIDDING ME?!?! ERIC SCHMIDT DOESN’T MATCH THE PERSONA OF AN APPLE EXECUTIVE!!! ERIC SCHMIDT IS A TYPICAL CRAPPY BUSINESSMAN… NOTHING LIKE THE VISIONARIES AT APPLE!
not a lot of love going around today is there….
I just threw up in my mouth a little
Won’t discuss private conversations? With himself? He’ll never come to Apple because he won’t have anybody to copy.
Wait a minute…
You people realize that when Jobs does leave, that someone *less* than him will have to take his place, right?
Tim Cook may rise to the occasion, as could a whole list of others, but if you’re looking at a list of most successful CEOs of all time based on evaluating increase in market cap per year, Schmidt is sitting on the top of the list just under Jobs.
Schmidt has all kinds of relevant knowledge and experience and already knows much of Apple’s inner workings.
While Apple has many different philosophies and approaches, the core of Apple’s success has been to focus on the building the best products with the best user experience through innovation.
Again, you can’t pick another Apple, you have to pick lesser. In this case, Google is the next in line.
There is the school of thought that you hire people and put them in the job that they do. Ive=Design, Schiller=Marketing, Forestall=OS, Cook=Operations, Oppenheimer=Finance. When Jobs leaves, it may make sense to have these brilliant people keep their jobs and bring in someone only to replace the CEO. The current chiefs would all rise, but only within their respective roles as the new CEO would be less directly involved, which could be better than having a CEO focused and weighted on their strength in only one of the areas. This means bringing someone in from the outside.
And in the end, it’s really the board that hires the CEO. Schmidt may have made friends there, despite the reasons for his departure.
“‘I’m not going to talk about non-existant conversations with anybody.'”
Fixed
@temprakneeoh,
The ZAGGmate is pretty cool and seems to work well. I had no problems playing with it, but…
I really like the Apple case. I love being able to toss my iPad around without fear of it being damaged. The ZAGGmate would alter the way I carried the iPad, making me much more cautious. Also, I really don’t need the keyboard.
However, for someone who wants a keyboard and wouldn’t be careless with tossing around the iPad, this is a pretty good product to consider getting.
I picked up a Zagg Mate and I love it.
The Mole will never be CEO of Apple. He’d be perfect for Microsoft, though.
it could be the end of google. I understand Steve and Eric are still friends.
Maybe Apple needs a new toilet scrubber. Earache’s the man!
Steve Ballmer as CEO of Apple would build it into a $100B company…
One word. SELL!
If this ever happens I’m switching to Windows.
The lying weasel, Schmidt has lost his friends Larry and Sergey, and wants to gatecrash Apple?
Don’t think so… pretty sure they’re onto him…
And you think the riots in Egypt are bad.
And it is wonderful that we have Tim Cook as CO/EO and best people in the world.. My favorites Jonathan and Phil & Co.
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It is amazing how mutch whining Nokia and others can do while Scott kicks them in the arsetechnica
i highly doubt the mole is on apples secret succession list
Will Eric wear his pink cowboy hat? It would go nicely with the Apple black turtle neck.
Perhaps if Schmidt is CEO new Macs would be free as long as you always search on Google
Would not be surprised if one of the strategic purchases on the horizon for the mountain of 51B $$ is Google.
Secures their search, brings a lot of info to expand the ad-revenue work Apple is doing in iOS, will kill Android, etc. etc.
http://gizmodo.com/5503004/steve-jobs-and-eric-schmidt-spotted-together-again-photos
Personally, I think you guys are all crazy for thinking this couldn’t or shouldn’t happen. And if it does, then believe this was Steve Jobs idea. Eric Schmidt was never truly the CEO of Google. What he did was help two co-founders run their company the way they wanted to. He isn’t some sales bozo, like Balmer. He is a technologist with a proven track record of listening to and giving credence to people like Ive
Let’s face it, Schmidt was fired from his roll in Google. Maybe Pepsi want’s him.
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Schmidt won’t say anything about being hired by Apple for the same reason Sarah Palin won’t say anything about running for President.
She won’t. But if she says that now, people will stop paying attention to her.
@Really? Not likely?:
Your gizmodo link is ancient history (about 8 months old or so…) We could only wish that was recent a recent pic just to verify that Steve’s condition isn’t as dire as some believe.
Tim Cook will be the next CEO at Apple. If this was not already decided Tim Cook would not be at Apple today. Decision has already been made. iCal it.