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Apple Considering Former White House Press Secretary Jay Carney for PR Chief Position [Update: Conflicting Reports]

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Apr 12, 2001
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Former White House Press Secretary Jay Carney is one of the candidates being considered to replace Katie Cotton as Apple's new PR head, reports Re/code. In a piece on Uber, Re/code's Kara Swisher suggests that Carney's name is "being bandied about" for the position.

Carney served as White House Press Secretary from 2011 until June of 2014, when he officially resigned. Prior to that, Carney served as director of communications for Vice President Joe Biden and before that, he was the Washington bureau chief for Time magazine.

Katie Cotton, who was Apple's VP of worldwide corporate communications before retiring back in May, served for more than 20 years under both Steve Jobs and Tim Cook. Cotton was known for being fiercely protective of Apple executives, serving as the gatekeeper for media access and keeping a tight rein on the company's PR operations.

Since Cotton's retirement, Apple has been actively searching for her replacement. Tim Cook is reportedly overseeing the search and hoping to find an external candidate with a "friendly, more approachable face" to replace Cotton as the company strives for greater openness under its new leadership.

Update July 15, 8:35 AM: According to The Loop's Jim Dalrymple, Carney is not under consideration for Apple's PR chief role, and has never even met Apple CEO Tim Cook.

Update July 19, 1:43 PM: : Bloomberg is now reporting that Carney is discussing the PR job with Apple, citing a friend of the former White House press secretary. The source also notes that Carney "hasn't made up his mind."

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Article Link: Apple Considering Former White House Press Secretary Jay Carney for PR Chief Position [Update: Conflicting Reports]
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2014/07/14/apple-pr-chief-jay-carney/
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brendu

Cancelled
Apr 23, 2009
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I am not really a big fan of the guy but he surely is qualified for the position.
 
ouimetnick

ouimetnick

macrumors 68040
Aug 28, 2008
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He doesn't seem to thrilled about working.. I'm surprised he worked that long. Regardless if you believe what he says or not, it must be a stressful job when dealing with politics and the press.
 
E

Exponent

macrumors 6502
Jul 17, 2002
261
632
Silicon Valley
Tim Cook is reportedly overseeing the search and hoping to find an external candidate with a "friendly, more approachable face" to replace Cotton as the company strives for greater openness under its new leadership.
Click to expand...

Oh, yeah, from "The Most Transparent Administration... EVAH!"

Kool-aid.gif
 
Rogifan

Rogifan

macrumors Penryn
Nov 14, 2011
24,122
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Is it April fools in July? Seriously Tim? Why would you have anyone involved in government on the short list? There has to be better candidates for your PR chief than a political hack. Pretty soon Apple's executive ranks will be full of former Obama staffers. :eek:
 
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theBostonian

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Apr 15, 2012
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ouimetnick said:
He doesn't seem to thrilled about working.. I'm surprised he worked that long. Regardless if you believe what he says or not, it must be a stressful job when dealing with politics and the press.
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Yes, having to think up so many different ways to say the honest truth such that it fits with whatever agenda you are told the administration is following (often that morning) is very stressful indeed.
 
Robert.Walter

Robert.Walter

macrumors 68040
Jul 10, 2012
3,082
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Please don't do it Tim!

A doofus D.C. retread known for selling spin and obfuscation from an deeply incompetent administration is not the kind of experience or "talent" that Apple requires.

If hired, will bring a negative halo to the company as the John Browett of PR.


Apple needs to project power close to ideas, not ideas close to power.
 
M

Macboy Pro

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Feb 16, 2011
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Holy cow, that would be the worst move by any company in history. Jay Carney has ZERO credibility. I wouldn't hire him to mow my grass let alone represent my company. There is NO WAY this is true.
 
Michael Goff

Michael Goff

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Jul 5, 2012
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Macboy Pro said:
Holy cow, that would be the worst move by any company in history. Jay Carney has ZERO credibility. I wouldn't hire him to mow my grass let alone represent my company. There is NO WAY this is true.
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He has ZERO credibility, but at the same time he's an excellent PR person.
 
Rogifan

Rogifan

macrumors Penryn
Nov 14, 2011
24,122
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Macboy Pro said:
Holy cow, that would be the worst move by any company in history. Jay Carney has ZERO credibility. I wouldn't hire him to mow my grass let alone represent my company. There is NO WAY this is true.
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God I hope this isn't even close to being true. Regardless of ones politics hiring a political hack (and that's what press secretaries are) is a stupid move. Case in point Mark Penn at Microsoft.
 
PowerBook-G5

PowerBook-G5

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Jul 30, 2013
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Oh Lord no. Anytime that I saw him at a press release, he appeared to be out of it and half asleep.
 
brinary001

brinary001

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Sep 4, 2012
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Carney would be better for Samsung. He's made a name for himself when it comes to trying to sugarcoat the horrid mistakes of who he represents. ;)
 
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InfoTime

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Jul 17, 2002
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The political environment today is much more polarizing than it used to be. Both sides are guilty of flaming the flames of that divide the parties and their politicians. And the country is close to evenly split - the last two elections show how close it is.

Given all that why would Apple want to hire someone that's so closely tied to one side of the aisle?
 
Small White Car

Small White Car

macrumors G4
Aug 29, 2006
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Washington DC
Macboy Pro said:
Holy cow, that would be the worst move by any company in history. Jay Carney has ZERO credibility. I wouldn't hire him to mow my grass let alone represent my company. There is NO WAY this is true.
Click to expand...

So... you're looking for a PR person who doesn't hide the things the boss wants hidden?

Exactly how long do you expect your self-proclaimed "company" to last with hiring policies like that?
 
Michael Goff

Michael Goff

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Jul 5, 2012
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theBostonian said:
So was Max Clifford, a UK PR guru. He was recently found guilty of "sexual abuse"; would you hire him to be the face of your company?

Credibility in PR is vital.
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I'd have to do some testing to see if the average customer felt about this person. If it was more positive than negative, maybe. I mean, businesses are about choosing a person who can do the job.
 
K

koban4max

macrumors 68000
Aug 23, 2011
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if that's the case...basically he's gonna kill all trust toward the company...
How the hell do we know if what he says will be true or what not...maybe make things up.
 
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Tknull

macrumors regular
Jun 24, 2011
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San Diego
This would so piss me off. Me personally, i would not believe a word he says. More importantly than me, half the country would not trust a word he says.
 
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Macboy Pro

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Feb 16, 2011
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Michael Goff said:
I'd have to do some testing to see if the average customer felt about this person. If it was more positive than negative, maybe. I mean, businesses are about choosing a person who can do the job.
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So when you choose someone in Public Relations, don't you choose someone credible, believable, honest (at least publicly)? Only someone who has been a zombie for 4 years could ever say Jay Carney is credible in any way. I don't even think Obama believes Jay is credible anymore.
 
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Tknull

macrumors regular
Jun 24, 2011
199
0
San Diego
InfoTime said:
The political environment today is much more polarizing than it used to be. Both sides are guilty of flaming the flames of that divide the parties and their politicians. And the country is close to evenly split - the last two elections show how close it is.

Given all that why would Apple want to hire someone that's so closely tied to one side of the aisle?
Click to expand...

Exactly. Why pick someone that half the entire population (and i would argue more than half of Apple customers, but that's a different subject) would despise.
 
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