Apple Hires Former Time Warner Cable Exec for Cloud Services Team

[pubb]

He looks like the evil green guy from Sin City.

Fun fact: His high school class voted him "least likely to ever work at Apple".

 

[CarlJ]

I get the same letters. My favorite part is how I can "save money" with one of their bundles. But the price is always more than what I am paying for internet only? How is paying them more saving money??

Several years ago, Discover Card asked me if it would be okay if they closed my account, since I hadn't used the card in many years. I said sure, let's cancel it... Guess who sends me letters every month now, saying, "we miss you so much, wouldn't you like to reopen an account with us, pretty please?" These companies are all big enough that the right hand doesn't really know what the left hand is doing (as well, Sony the hardware company used to have an ongoing war with Sony the music company over whether digital music distribution was a good idea).

As far as hiring this guy goes, the cable companies are essentially Apple's competition when dealing with the media companies. The cable companies have all sorts of intricate/exclusive contracts that are complicating Apple's goal of getting a subscription package for Apple TV. Hiring this guy gets them someone who has contacts and relationships with the media companies, and someone who knows all about the cable companies' operations and mindset. Regardless of whether he fits their culture exactly, he gives them valuable insight and access to the video industry, in the same way that Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre give them insight and access to the music industry. On the surface at least (knowing nothing of this guy's talents/background), it seems like a good idea. And who cares what he looks like. Some folks here are so juvenile.
[doublepost=1473962133][/doublepost]

Unless Eddy showing up late to the meetings in jeans and a Hawaiian shirt had something to do with it.

That anecdote "leaking" when it did was likely the media companies aiming to make Apple look bad in order to bolster their position, when they don't have a lot of other ammunition. The thing that's going to affect your company's bottom line and stock price next year/decade is the terms of any deal negotiated, not what the messenger looked like.
[doublepost=1473962328][/doublepost]

[a bad hire because] TWC has no cloud or app experience.

And Apple never obfuscates the responsibilities of their new hires. If they hire someone to make, someday in the far future, an entirely new category of product like a phone or a tablet or a music player, they'll just come right out and say that's what they're working on...