In response, Cook approached Mansfield and offered him an exorbitant package of cash and stock worth around $2 million a month to stay on at Apple
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Tim Cook Faced an 'Insurrection' Following Announcement of Bob Mansfield's Retirement
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Bob doesn't like the direction in which the company is moving. It takes a lot to turn down 2 million per month. The cracks are appearing in the armor.
We? Lol, I didn't get the memo that allows you to speak for the entire general population of MacRumors. Funny though, I can't be preachy, but you can be Self Righteous.
Got it.
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He certainly knew the value of talent. He probably would have done everything he could to keep Mansfield on (or find an effective replacement).
I really can't imagine Jobs ever bowing to a staff insurrection though. I can't imagine them trying it in the first place!
IMO, the reason Apple stayed so focused for so many years was they had - for better or worse - one dominant controlling character, rather than dozens of conflicting opinions and egos. With him gone, it's a different story.
</What would Steve have done>
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nostromo77
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You and me both...
The new generation of Fanboys somehow see Apple as something completely different. I've been with Apple back in the 90s, through the 00s and just recently left, I can tell you, it's like being in a never ending storm, it used to have seasons but the past 10 years have been very difficult for many people... Many good people had to leave Apple, it was just unbearable towards the end. It's Jobs madness that was somehow controlled, got out of hand and since he's gone Cook can't cover up how poorly he manages people. He was good to control product production but when it comes to people, he's just an empty soul.
I guess most of us used to believe in Jobs, even if we knew when we went home at night it was all BS, he at least still had some power to drag you into his distorted reality long enough for you to do what he wanted.
I don't mind people liking Apple, I mind when they love it like a superstar, idolize them and think there's nothing better than Apple. Truth is, with the latest releases, for anyone who's been close to the company can see the subtle changes going the wrong way.
I wonder how many people here are from the campus. Before I left Apple, coming here was a big no no... now I couldn't care less.
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nostromo77
Guest
Those cracks are also where the toxic comes through.
When I left, I was motivated because my mentor who was with Apple for years spilled his guts and told me all. When he left, 4 others left with him. I stayed on only because I wanted to see it for my self, so since last year, I was investigating the claims and all of them and then some were true.
... 2 million per month is a lot of money to loose, you are right, it takes a lot to turn down that kind of money.
I guess here is where I should stop writing, as much as I wish I could share what I know, the truth is, Apple is a very spiteful company.
Yup, so in one year that Shrek can make 24 million, and in a little over four years he can make 100 million... 100,000,000... that's a lot of zeros...
Wow. a former Apple employee on board!
I understand what you are saying though re: Confidentiality. You have to be very careful man, it is easy for people to mis-interpret or mis-quote message board messages.
Which is why he offered to stick around as a consultant for free. Oh, wait.
You don't have to be a cynic to think it's about the money, but you'd have to be pretty naive to believe that it wasn't.
Well, the big deal is that Tim caved in to the demands of his employees and not even his direct reports, but the guys that reported to the manager he put in charge of them. This might be a dangerous precedent. After all, when Mansfield does go, will Riccio feel secure in his job knowing that a couple of phone calls from his team could get him replaced?
That's probably what he thought too. Then found out that 2 million a month could sway him.
Exactly my sentiments. Bob rocks and he is being recognized for his critical role to the company.
Steve most definitely would have allowed this.
Not a person on this earth deserves that kind of money no matter their talents when so many others live in absolute poverty. If Apple has that little confidence in its future, that's its problem. What a ridiculous response by Cook if that salary is indeed $2 million/month.
I have no doubt they are a spiteful company. All one needs to do is read Steve's biography to see that. In the end, what goes around comes around. As soon as the loyalists start thinking for themselves, they'll see that Apple is now what it once abhorred. Apple is Big Brother in an even bigger way.
LOL. He is not the head Hardware Engineer. He is the VP of Hardware Engineering. That's an entirely different level of responsibility. Trust me, I have done both.
I have seen many companies screw up because they take the best Engineer (a brilliant technical guy) and then move him up into the Sr. Management ranks. Half of my career has been spent cleaning up after the messes left in the wake of such guys.
To have real technical chops AND be a good Sr. Manager is a very rare combination. Plus if you manage an Engineering organization, you absolutely MUST have the respect of your Engineering staff.
Once Bob announced his retirement and the Engineering ranks complained, then the real risk is that Apple would have a mass exodus of good talent. It sounds like the Engineering staff have little respect for the guy that was going to be Bob's replacement. So Tim made a really good move here.
The guy who was going to replace Bob now has a real rough time of it and I would be surprised if he stays with the company. Imagine being in his shoes, having the Engineers complain and knowing that Apple paid Bob $2M/mo to come back as a consultant. Even if the plan is for Bob to work with that other guy on a transition, I doubt that guy will be around long. Plus, a longer transition won't change the opinions of the Engineers anyway.
You can't blame Bob. He's already a multimillionaire many times over and has worked his ass off. Why not retire and enjoy life? Sure the big bucks are probably a big part of it, but if Bob is an ethical guy Tim probably appealed to that and did what he could to get him back, at least for a while. After all, Bob has made his (well deserved) fortune by being with Apple.
Bob doesn't get the credit he is due. Everyone glamorize Ive's design staff (which is well deserved) but its the HW Engineering folks that have to take those carved up mockups and create actual working devices out of them.
If any team at Apple is blowing it, it's the SW Engineering and SW QA teams. There a ton of bugs still in Lion, and now many in ML. iPhoto is a buggy joke. iTunes Match is still screwed up. They made a huge blunder with iMovie and FCP X. I still can't get Finder window settings to "stick". etc. etc. etc.
But Apple has some damned solid HW. It's not perfect, but its far better than any other PC maker's out there.
There are also people in abject poverty who say the same thing about what you and your family have in income and assets. What are you going to do about that?
The $2million is made up of cash and stock, and there will be some conditions attached to the stock options, so let's not all get carried away.
Also, look up the almost obscene amounts that other people at Apple (and Microsoft, Intel, Google, blah, blah) earned and Mansfield's $2million a month doesn't look too bad. Tim Cook would have made the remuneration package up after determining if Mansfield was worth that amount.
You could also argue that Mansfield under-valued himself.
Also, look up the almost obscene amounts that other people at Apple (and Microsoft, Intel, Google, blah, blah) earned and Mansfield's $2million a month doesn't look too bad. Tim Cook would have made the remuneration package up after determining if Mansfield was worth that amount.
You could also argue that Mansfield under-valued himself.
I just can't see Tim Cook as anything other than an empty bean counter.
It was hiring John Browett from notoriously crap retail group Dixons, UK to run Apple stores that first spoke volumes to me. You'd hire Browett if you want a cheap McRetail experience that's frutrating for your customers. No other reason.
Then there was the iPad 3. It's a cool product but I just don't think a fatter, heavier iPad would have flown. Steve would have delayed it until a while. Cook just saw easy cash.
Maps just smacks of the worst of Microsoft - put out any old crap as people will buy it anyway.
Back in the 90s Dr Martens, that made utilitarian footwear popular with various youth subcultures, tried to capitalise on their 'cool factor' by becoming a big fashion label. They shut down a historic English factory and moved production to China. Soon, there was all sorts of crap coming out with the brand slapped across it and the cool factor was lost. For a years the company struggled trying to be mainstream - the rapid expansion nearly ended them.
It was hiring John Browett from notoriously crap retail group Dixons, UK to run Apple stores that first spoke volumes to me. You'd hire Browett if you want a cheap McRetail experience that's frutrating for your customers. No other reason.
Then there was the iPad 3. It's a cool product but I just don't think a fatter, heavier iPad would have flown. Steve would have delayed it until a while. Cook just saw easy cash.
Maps just smacks of the worst of Microsoft - put out any old crap as people will buy it anyway.
Back in the 90s Dr Martens, that made utilitarian footwear popular with various youth subcultures, tried to capitalise on their 'cool factor' by becoming a big fashion label. They shut down a historic English factory and moved production to China. Soon, there was all sorts of crap coming out with the brand slapped across it and the cool factor was lost. For a years the company struggled trying to be mainstream - the rapid expansion nearly ended them.
Yup.
To be fair, Apple is always bragging about how they still act "like a startup" and costantly make their software teams switch from product to product. A few months on OSX, a few months on iOS, a few weeks here and there on other things.
That often makes it difficult for anyone to take real ownership of a piece of code, live with it day in and day out, and figure out the best enhancements and/or bug fixes for it.
I've always thought Apple is more of a hardware company than a software company and this is further proof. Especially now that they're getting more into chip design. Right now Apple hardware is superior to their software IMO.
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I'm still a bit skeptical he's being paid $2M per month. As you say that's more than most Fortune 500 CEO's get paid.