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Who should replace Steve Jobs and why?
- Thread starter wrldwzrd89
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I know that I would not want Jonathan Ive as the CEO of Apple, from a shareholder's standpoint (the ones who really matter in a corporation). Putting a design person in charge of a multibillion dollar company would not be a good fit. Sure, he has the fantastic design eye and whatnot, but does he have the business smarts? In a Wired article, he was described as "egoless," a polar opposite of Mr. Jobs.
I don't know for sure, but I'm betting that his shrewdness pales in comparison to Jobs. Mr. Jobs can sell a half-sock for $5, and make the consumer buy 6 of them at once. Simply amazing, and also somewhat frightening.
Of Apple's current crop, Phil Schiller would be my pick.
I don't know for sure, but I'm betting that his shrewdness pales in comparison to Jobs. Mr. Jobs can sell a half-sock for $5, and make the consumer buy 6 of them at once. Simply amazing, and also somewhat frightening.
Of Apple's current crop, Phil Schiller would be my pick.
Phil Schiller seems like a really great guy, but he's majorly lacking in the "cool" department. Apple is as much about selling "cool" as it is about selling computers. If he does get the gig, I hope he drops the attempts at humor that have marred his previous keynote appearances - especially the "I'm pretending I traveled a great distance to get here after that iSight chat" routine. Once was bad. Two years in a row was unforgivable. Woof.
The obvious solution is to clone Jobs.
Infact...why not make a whole army of Jobs? They could take over every corp. on the planet
Infact...why not make a whole army of Jobs? They could take over every corp. on the planet
It would have to be someone younger. Phil is great, but how old is he? Plus, he really doesn't have the RDF down. Can't be Tim or Jon. Danika seems a good fit. They must be grooming somebody, especially after the cancer scare. They'll need a good mix of style and ego, like any good artist.
I'd rather just not think about it.
I'd rather just not think about it.
This thread was meant to be serious, and now it's gotten all weird and sillysnkTab said:
Oh well. I guess this thread has served its purpose now and can safely be locked.
Woz? From everything I've ever read by or about him, he's got absolutely no interest in running a corporation. If they forced him into it, it would be interesting, but the company would bleed red ink before it died. He'd come up with great ideas for products, but I don't think he has the slave driver capability to get them out the door. (And bless him for that and for being who he is.)
Phil Schiller would be a great interim choice in the event that something happened to Jobs, like, tomorrow (e.g., the ol' hit-by-a-bus scenario). He could steward the company through a rough time, but I don't know if he's got a long-term vision to keep it moving forward. He would, however, be crucial in picking a permanent replacement; he "gets" Apple.
The thing about Jobs' tenures as CEO is that while the man returned, the manager in the second era is very, very different. And much of that would seem to be due to the drama of creating a company from scratch and having it all taken away. He runs things based not only on a determination not to make the same mistakes that he made the first time around, but also to not make the mistakes that the people who followed him made, either. That's some hard-earned wisdom that not a lot of corporate executives have.
It also means that whoever takes over is going to have a thankless time of it. Apple is never going to be his or her company. There will never be any creation myth about him or her building the first machine in a garage with a buddy. "[CEO-elect's name here] bought his first Mac with the help of his father's credit card when he was sixteen years old" just doesn't have the same ring to it.
So, in short, I have absolutely no ide who would make a good replacement. If Apple is smart, there's an ever-changing short list of people to approach if something happens, always evolving -- names added, names scratched off -- based upon what Apple's needs are and how well those people could serve them.
Phil Schiller would be a great interim choice in the event that something happened to Jobs, like, tomorrow (e.g., the ol' hit-by-a-bus scenario). He could steward the company through a rough time, but I don't know if he's got a long-term vision to keep it moving forward. He would, however, be crucial in picking a permanent replacement; he "gets" Apple.
The thing about Jobs' tenures as CEO is that while the man returned, the manager in the second era is very, very different. And much of that would seem to be due to the drama of creating a company from scratch and having it all taken away. He runs things based not only on a determination not to make the same mistakes that he made the first time around, but also to not make the mistakes that the people who followed him made, either. That's some hard-earned wisdom that not a lot of corporate executives have.
It also means that whoever takes over is going to have a thankless time of it. Apple is never going to be his or her company. There will never be any creation myth about him or her building the first machine in a garage with a buddy. "[CEO-elect's name here] bought his first Mac with the help of his father's credit card when he was sixteen years old" just doesn't have the same ring to it.
So, in short, I have absolutely no ide who would make a good replacement. If Apple is smart, there's an ever-changing short list of people to approach if something happens, always evolving -- names added, names scratched off -- based upon what Apple's needs are and how well those people could serve them.