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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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Steve Jobs threatened to file a patent suit against Palm if they didn't agree to not hire Apple employees, according to a Reuters report on a court filing (via AppleInsider) made public Tuesday. The court filing is a part of a class action lawsuit against Apple, Google, Pixar, Lucasfilm and others over an agreement those companies made to not actively solicit each other's employees to hire them away.

091350-jobs_forbes_400_2010.jpg
The companies attempted to keep an array of documents secret, but that request was rejected in parts by Judge Lucy Koh, which is why a statement from former Palm executive Edward Colligan has become public record. Colligan said that Jobs proposed the agreement to Palm, and that Jobs suggested that if Palm didn't agree they could face lawsuits "alleging infringement of Apple's many patents." Colligan responded to Jobs with an email:
Your proposal that we agree that neither company will hire the other's employees, regardless of the individual's desires, is not only wrong, it is likely illegal.[...] Palm doesn't target other companies-we look for the best people we can find. l'd hope the same could be said about Apple1s practices. However, during the last year or so, as Apple geared up to compete with Palm in the phone space, Apple hired at least 2% of Palm's workforce. To put it in perspective, had Palm done the same, we'd have hired 300 folks from Apple. Instead, to my knowledge, we've hired just three.
Colligan also told Jobs that he was not intimidated by patent litigation and said that Palm had recently acquired some patents from Siemens that it could use against Apple and its iPhone patents. Jobs responded:
Just for the record, when Siemens sold their handset business to BenQ they didn't sell them their essential patents but rather just gave them a license. The patents they did sell to BenQ are not that great. We looked at them ourselves when they were for sale. I guess you guys felt differently and bought them. We are not concerned about them at all. My advice is to take a look at our patent portfolio before you make a final decision here.
Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs revealed that Jobs was angry at Palm for hiring former employees, although the threat of patent litigation in Colligan's statement is certainly a new revelation.
"Jobs was so furious that Palm was hiring some of his former employees that he complained to Bono, who was a cofounder of a private equity group, led by the former Apple CFO Fred Anderson, that had bought a controlling stake in Palm."
These aren't the only instances that Jobs became angry at the poaching of Apple employees, however. In January 2012 it was revealed, also according to a court filing, that Jobs complained to then-Google CEO Eric Schmidt about the hiring of Apple employees at Google.

Recently, current CEO Tim Cook was ordered to give a deposition in this case, so more nuggets of information are likely to be released as court filings are made public.

Article Link: Steve Jobs Threatened Palm with Patent Suit Over No-Hire Policy
 

etrinh

macrumors regular
Mar 11, 2011
157
1
I propose we outsource all jobs then business don't have to fight over employees. Each company can outsource to the most competitive bidder. Even upper management should be out sourced. Then our economy will truly be global and we all hire eachother
 

Battlefield Fan

macrumors 65816
Mar 9, 2008
1,063
0
What an angry man Steve was. I like him less and less each day. Not that Tim is doing a better job though.
 
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AppleLover12345

macrumors newbie
Jan 22, 2013
18
0
I propose we outsource all jobs then business don't have to fight over employees. Each company can outsource to the most competitive bidder. Even upper management should be out sourced. Then our economy will truly be global and we all hire eachother

Well, aside from the upper management, what you're proposing is already happening.
Over half of Silicon Valley employees as Asian. IBM is also replacing almost all their American R&D staff with Asians & Indians. IBM expects by the latter-half of this decade, over 70% of their engineers will be of Korean, Chinese, Japanese or Indian descent.

And American patriots like LagunaSol and Iconoclysm still think Americans are the ones who lead in technology and make technological breakthroughs. Denial at its best, heh? :D
 

BBCWatcher

macrumors regular
Jan 28, 2008
139
153
Maine
Good for Ed Colligan. History has proven him right about this conspiracy among major technology companies to limit employee recruitment.
 

BC2009

macrumors 68020
Jul 1, 2009
2,236
1,371
And people call Samsung scum.

They are scum... you can read all about it....

http://www.kernelmag.com/features/report/3028/samsung-power-corruption-and-lies/

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/06/b...ht-samsung.1.8210181.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aH3aDwXXnvqc

http://www.fastcompany.com/1627411/...amsung-says-exposé-former-s-korean-prosecutor

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-04/22/content_8029589.htm

Regardless of that, a whole lot of Silicon Valley companies (e.g.: just about all the big ones) are going to pay out on a class action lawsuit regarding these no-hire agreements. It extends way beyond Apple and Google.
 

lolkthxbai

macrumors 65816
May 7, 2011
1,426
489
This is so dirty, so Steve Jobs. He had a passion to be the best in every way, no matter the means.
 

AppleLover12345

macrumors newbie
Jan 22, 2013
18
0
They are scum... you can read all about it....

http://www.kernelmag.com/features/report/3028/samsung-power-corruption-and-lies/

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/06/b...ht-samsung.1.8210181.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aH3aDwXXnvqc

http://www.fastcompany.com/1627411/...amsung-says-exposé-former-s-korean-prosecutor

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-04/22/content_8029589.htm

Regardless of that, a whole lot of Silicon Valley companies (e.g.: just about all the big ones) are going to pay out on a class action lawsuit regarding these no-hire agreements. It extends way beyond Apple and Google.

*yawn*
Where did I deny that Samsung wasn't scum or that they were never involved in illegal activities? I'm saying that it's hypocritical of Apple fanboys to proclaim that Samsung was scum and not mention the scum-like activities of Apple.
And just because other companies participated doesn't make it right. The way I see it, Apple is the biggest scum of them all. They make Samsung look like Mother Teresa. All Samsung is involved with is bribery of Korean politicians to get tax cuts and even more tax cuts, which doesn't really harm anyone. Apple's activities, on the other hand...
 
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Unggoy Murderer

macrumors 65816
Jan 28, 2011
1,141
3,898
Edinburgh, UK
What an angry man Stevd was. I like him less and less each day. Not that Tim is doing a better job though.
I think he's perfectly okay to protect his company and employees, and therefore their hard work from being lost to another company.

To be honest, I'd do anything to have someone with Steve's stance on poaching leading my company...
 

a0me

macrumors 65816
Oct 5, 2006
1,074
166
Tokyo, Japan
And people call Samsung scum.
It seems to me that this story shows that Jobs was acting like a spoiled brat with an attitude, not that Apple as a company is acting like a criminal organization. Samsung on the other hand, is linked with the Kkangpae (South Korean mafia).
 

Unggoy Murderer

macrumors 65816
Jan 28, 2011
1,141
3,898
Edinburgh, UK
*yawn*
Where did I deny that Samsung wasn't scum or that they were never involved in illegal activities? I'm saying that it's hypocritical of Apple fanboys to proclaim that Samsung was scum and not mention the scum-like activities of Apple.
And just because other companies participated doesn't make it right. The way I see it, Apple is the biggest scum of them all. They make Samsung look like Mother Teresa. All Samsung is involved with is bribery of Korean politicians to get tax cuts and even more tax cuts, which doesn't really harm anyone. Apple's activities, on the other hand...
...And where are they on this thread? You fired the first shot, buddy.
 
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swingerofbirch

macrumors 68040
I was trying to figure out why anyone outside of cycling enthusiasts cared that Lance Armstrong used drugs. I think it's because people want to believe you can achieve any level of success using the same kindness and ethics that most people are capable of using in their daily lives. Otherwise our political system and the highest echelons of capitalist success have a barrier to entry. They're not systems free from the need to abuse others. I thought that was the irony of the Oprah interview. I don't know that Oprah has been in wooly fights to attain her success, but as I watched the interview, it occurred to me I was watching two titans, only one of whom's dirty laundry has been revealed.

Steve Jobs comes off terribly. It seems pretty reflective of what's been reported about both him and Apple for years. As a child I saw Apple as Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. In recent years they've seemed more like Scientology.

I do think there are more ethical companies, like Costco, for example. Google strikes me as a more ethical company. It seems more sincerely interested in innovation than domination. At the least I can say if I were able to work for either, it would be google.

it is a shame what happened to palm. It was another company that really cared about product.

While it make take some unusual self belief and willingness to tread on others to attain any great success, I think that there are degrees of these traits and it's important to try not to reward or ignore them because of the benefits we get, that is ignoring reckless driving in the case of Steve Jobs because of the value people placed on him.

And while these traits are common, it's more unusual that an entire company models itself after the somewhat pathological personality of its former CEO, going as far as to codify it with Apple University. It goes back to my comparison of Apple to cults.
 

Unggoy Murderer

macrumors 65816
Jan 28, 2011
1,141
3,898
Edinburgh, UK
Did you even read the news? Threatening to patent troll Palm just because they refused to agree to a no-poaching term? How is that NOT scum-like?
Yeah, I do... Steve was doing what he could to do what was right. Palm wasn't playing ball. The agreement between the big companies wouldn't exist if it was wrong or unfair. And, did you even read the links that were served to you?
 

AppleLover12345

macrumors newbie
Jan 22, 2013
18
0
It seems to me that this story shows that Jobs was acting like a spoiled brat with an attitude, not that Apple as a company is acting like a criminal organization. Samsung on the other hand, is linked with the Kkangpae (South Korean mafia).

The only crimes Samsung has ever committed were bribery of politicians to get tax cuts and price fixing on LCD panels (Which Japanese firms have also been caught doing).

Also, here's the definition of scum: A person or group of people regarded as contemptible or worthless.

Both Samsung and Apple are scum, but here's the difference. Samsung's activities don't harm anyone or deprive anyone of their rights. Apple's does.
 
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swingerofbirch

macrumors 68040
I think he's perfectly okay to protect his company and employees, and therefore their hard work from being lost to another company.

To be honest, I'd do anything to have someone with Steve's stance on poaching leading my company...

While it's extremely far away from slavery, no poaching policies are on the same spectrum. It takes us from a free market to one where an employee is essentially owned by his company if he wants to work in his chosen field. It's extremely unethical and should be illegal if it's not.
 

AppleLover12345

macrumors newbie
Jan 22, 2013
18
0
Yeah, I do... Steve was doing what he could to do what was right. Palm wasn't playing ball. The agreement between the big companies wouldn't exist if it was wrong or unfair. And, did you even read the links that were served to you?

So purposefully trying to impede freedom of association is right?
And what the hell do you mean Palm wasn't playing ball? You should be free to attempt to hire anyone and that employee has the right to work for another company if that other company is offering a higher pay. An employee is an employee to the company, not its slave.

And yes, I did read the links. Did you? All it said was that Samsung got tax cuts and paid less taxes. Whoop-dee-****ing doo! Who cares?
 

k995

macrumors 6502a
Jan 23, 2010
933
173
I wonder how much more of these stories are going to come out now that the fear of any reprisal is gone.

----------

Yeah, I do... Steve was doing what he could to do what was right. Palm wasn't playing ball. The agreement between the big companies wouldn't exist if it was wrong or unfair. And, did you even read the links that were served to you?

Funny how people will defend their hero's.

Its being a bully , jobs had some serious isues with that.
 

AppleLover12345

macrumors newbie
Jan 22, 2013
18
0
While it's extremely far away from slavery, no poaching policies are on the same spectrum. It takes us from a free market to one where an employee is essentially owned by his company if he wants to work in his chosen field. It's extremely unethical and should be illegal if it's not.

LOL... Don't bother. That moron thinks limiting choices for a company's employee is "protecting" them. rofl... This guy doesn't even deserve a response.
 

LarryC

macrumors 6502
Jul 19, 2002
419
33
North America
Just another example of what a control freak and rectal opening that Steve Jobs actually was. Employees should not be treated like property or slaves. An employee should have the right to leave and go elsewhere if they choose to do so.
 
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