On October 6, 1997, in response to the question of what he’d do if he was in charge of Apple, Dell founder and CEO Michael Dell stood before a crowd of several thousand IT executives and answered flippantly, “What would I do? I’d shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders.”
For that, he earned the focus of none other than Steve Jobs:
The rest is history.
These days, Dell — who first met the Apple co-founder in 1980 as a coder teen and used an Apple II back then — is in a reflective mood.
“Certainly amazing how the smartphone, the iPhone has changed all of our lives,” Dell told CNBC’s “Squawk Box” on Tuesday.
“Steve was an amazing leader who changed the industry forever … changed the way we think about computing. Now we’ve got 5 billion people walking around in the world today with computers in their pockets and Apple was an enormous part of making that happen,” Dell said.
“Apple’s continued to innovate,” Dell said. “I think it’s certainly different from what Steve would have done. He had a different approach, his own approach. But Apple is an incredible company.”
MacDailyNews Take: Alternate headline: A grain of sand comments on the Hope Diamond.
Dell knows innovation like a chipmunk knows quantum physics.
BTW: Apple is currently worth 28.84 times the value of Dell.
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I’ve got to hand it to Dell for being positive and gracious with these recent comments. Yes, an idiotic comment, but the poor guy has surely eaten plate after plate of crow for his “return the $$ to the shareholders” comment.
I probably would have left the country and lived undercover if I was in his shoes.
And of course he wasn’t the only one who thought that. Even we Apple faithful had our doubts in the darkest days.
Concerns, yes. Doubts, no.
Wish I’d had your optimism! 😀
When Steve came back to Apple I bought stock at about $13 a share. No regrets. Many thought I was crazy. I had faith in Steve, which has played out nicely in my retirement days. Now if Biden doesn’t screw it all up and tank the market…
Too late. This idiot and his nazi leftist followers plan to fully destroy the country and make the USD worth less than toilet paper by printing endless money for their (not 3.5T) 5.5T-destruction-of-america legislation.
I too got wealthy following SJ. Instead of a pedestrian retirement we have a Chicago lakefront condo, a home at Mauna Lani, Hawaii, a place in Steamboat Springs, and my bachelor pad in Pattaya. Thanks Steve!
Another degenerate Boomer, thanks Steve!
If you have strong faith that Biden will screw up the market, just short everything you think will tank and laugh your way to the bank when you’re right. 😛
It is easy to forget in hindsight that Steve Jobs was nowhere near perfect. Someone who wants to be destructive, stubborn and abusive could easily find excuses in Jobs’ example.
President Drift and the radicals energizing his party have rung up the biggest bill this country has EVER seen, but one has to be transparent to say the spending game has been hobby for all the Presidents, those in Congress and the Fed Reserve for many decades.
Of the 51 countries that have ever had a 130% debt to GDP, all have defaulted. The US is now at 136% D/GDP. If the current 1.5–3.5 T bill goes through, we are increasingly f’d. Swallow Drifties,’ “it’s paid for,” garbage and I’ll send over a mechanic to reset your moronic head.
Oh yeah, I know…Clinton left with a surplus. Without Gingrich and Team, it never would have happened. Presidents don’t approve spending.
Btw, Japan was the 52nd country that didn’t default, but they’ve been severely handicapped since their near-default.
First: I’m a leftie from Canada, so I know you’ll take my remarks with a grain of salt.
But seriously. I’m very curious about what is going to happen with this spending and debt situation. I mean, the Trump tax cuts obviously didn’t pay for themselves. Nor do I expect this infrastructure plan to pay for itself. Are we going to have another government shut-down? Are we going to have crazy interest rate increases? Another housing crisis as a result?
We have a bit of a spending problem in Canada as well, and finding solutions that don’t gut services is a near impossible challenge.
The verdict on Jobs’ legacy is still out. He probably didn’t intend it this way, but billions of mind-controlling, porn and propaganda spewing, surveillance screens in people’s pockets isn’t something to be proud of.
now nick you can’t blame steve for what you put on your phone btw what is in your pocket?
So tell us about “your innovations” Michael!😜🥊
Wow. Good thing Sarah Palin didn’t put that bullseye on Michael Dell cause…you know…