Comments on: How successful are former Apple executives?

By: charles

charles — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 15:20:54 +0000

I’d like to point out that Gil Amelio saved Apple. In addition to keeping Apple out of bankruptcy, his decision to buy NeXT instead of Be was gutsy; surely he had some idea of the consequences of bring Jobs back to Apple. Even Jobs has admitted as much.

By: Gandhi

Gandhi — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 00:26:57 +0000

Yes, but Dell has a larger market share than Apple. :-)

As a client, employee and a shareholder, I would rather take greater profits than larger market share.

Dell may sell more units, but their margins are dismal. And in uncertain economic times like these, that market share with razor thin margins won’t help you ride out the storm.

But those greater profits, if sustainable (as they seem to be in the case of Apple), will help ride out the storm. As a client, employee and shareholder, that is what I look for in a company.

By: Kontra

Kontra — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 00:25:55 +0000

Deanston: “It’s no wonder the economy is in such disarray.”

Excellent summary of our current corporate structure.

Yes, but Dell has a larger market share than Apple. :-)

By: Deanston

Deanston — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 23:32:49 +0000

There are several problems with the wishful thinking that hiring formal Apple execs can help your company succeed. The commentators have pointed out most of them – hard work, shared drive for perfection, etc. – but I’ll put in my 2 cents:
1. A company is only as good as the top leader, like the ownership of a NFL team. Most CEOs that hired those guys simply have no clue to begin with. Each of these guys maybe good and can lead their teams but we all know who is in charge at Apple. They themselves are not necessary the take-charge kind of guy. Actually they all look kind of soft and nice.
2. Nobody else is like Jobs. Nobody else has his 30 years of hard fought experience and his taste and intelligence, and his charisma. Every exec at Apple is simply an extension of Jobs.
3. The former execs are only as good as the team that worked under them. It’s obvious the people they hire or inherited outside of Apple aren’t the same caliber or as focused as the people working at Apple.
4. Most of these guys left after they’ve given their all – meaning there’s not much juice left in them to create that next revolution like their new companies hope for.
5. The work attitude and culture at Apple is shared by the whole company, from Jobs to his direct reports down to those who worked under each exec. You don’t just import one person and import the whole culture. It’s like trying to import the Japanese corporate culture into the American auto industry. The Sony comparison is most relevant because of the opposite directions these 2 companies have headed. Story about Tim Cook, and that of Jobs staying up all night thinking about the Segway point to just how the Apple Cult reminds me of the old Japanese work ethic, which I doubt is shared among the IT execs in Dell, Palm, or Sony. Stories my cousin tells me about when he worked at Sony Gaming in San Diego made it clear to me why Sony product’s quality has gone downhill over the years. Every division is a kingdom. Priorities and directions change every 6 months. More managers than workers.
6. Few company spends the equal percentage of budget in R&D as Apple, even (especially) in hard times. All the above are intangibles. This is the only fact that can be imitated. Sadly companies (and governments) cannot seem to understand true investment.

The fact that armchair quarterbacks like us can so easily point out these flaws show just how pathetic the current corporate brain trust is. It’s no wonder the economy is in such disarray.

By: アップル社をやめた役員は、その後成功しているか？ at Castle104 Blog

アップル社をやめた役員は、その後成功しているか？ at Castle104 Blog — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 07:41:40 +0000

[...] without comments アップル社をやめた役員が、新しく入った会社で成功しているかどうかを�…です。 [...]

By: Steven

Steven — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 07:01:51 +0000

From the outside, it never appears that what Apple is doing is rocket science. So everyone thinks that a defector or two can duplicate it. The problem is, the Apple culture has been in the making for 30 years, and the CCO (chief cultural officer) is Steve Jobs. The sincere hope is that this culture has become sufficiently entrenched such that it will outlast Jobs’ suddenly conspicuous mortality.

What’s funny is that the same hardware-software integration model which is a constant source of criticism also serves as a frequent target of imitation, often by the same company (Zune, anyone). It’s also amazing how often Apple’s appeal is attributed to mere “coolness.” This in and of itself demonstrates how many folks, from CEO’s to bloggers, just dont get it. The problem is, cool is useless if the product doesn’t “just work.”

By: Blad_Rnr

Blad_Rnr — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:27:07 +0000

Yes, Steve Jobs demands respect for all that he has done. But I don’t think most realize the unbelievable amount of work he demands from his people.

Fortune did a nice piece yesterday on Tim Cook, Apple’s COO. This guy could run circles around any other person in any other company at his level. The guy work 14-16 hour days. Starts emailing at 4:30 in the morning. Has Sunday phone conferences to discuss the strategy for Monday morning meetings. He is relentless, dedicated and knows how to run his team to produce results.

I have worked in corporate America for 20 years. I have never seen someone work like that or have the discipline Cook has. Most executives put in their time and go home to enjoy their money and stature. It’s all about the position and not the company’s success. That says a lot about what Jobs expects and why Apple is successful. People think what Apple does is easy. All they have to do is come up with a marketing plan. It isn’t easy. It takes a lot of hard work that most executives just don’t want to commit to. And in the end it pays off.

By: John Muir

John Muir — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 14:14:15 +0000

Only one company ever imported the Apple ethic. It was Apple!

Steve Jobs and his people at NeXT needed the established user base and name recognition Apple still possessed. Gil Amelio’s stricken 1996 Apple needed a strategy and a soul again. Perfect match! (Albeit after a little spilled blood.)

What worked for Apple was a palace coup. The old Sculley administration and culture were thrown out of the company. What followed was a total revolution. It’s first results were Think Different and the iMac. It’s that direct legacy which still thrives at Apple today.

So: Sony, Dell, Palm … any of you up for an industry changing decapitation?

By: Jan

Jan — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 11:57:58 +0000

This is my personal reflection on [stupid] articles like: “Apple, The genius behind Steve”. They are playing mind games with Steve Jobs and the executive team at Apple. The only way to make Apple less successful is to break up the band – break up The Beatles. They think they have found a way to do that now. If Jobs or one of the others take the bait, they could very well succeed.