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Apple Grooming Next Gen of Executives

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the execs-2.0 dept.

capt turnpike writes "The modern Apple as we know it -- the good one with open-source Darwin, with Unix-based OS X, and so on -- was mainly the creation of NeXT: Steve Jobs, Avie Tevanian and Jon Rubenstein. What's going to happen to Apple once this troika leaves? eWEEK.com looks at the orderly transition out of Jon and Avie and asks whether things could go as smoothly should Jobs need to retire." From the article: "At some companies, such a loss of leadership could leave the company with a power vacuum or a lack of direction. However, Apple seems to be conscious that no single person--except, perhaps, CEO Steve Jobs himself--is irreplaceable, and that new talent can always be groomed for the future."

13 of 120 comments (clear)

  1. solution: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    cloning and black turtlenecks

  2. They should just.... by gEvil+(beta) · · Score: 5, Funny

    They should just hire someone from something like, oh, say a soda company. Selling computers can't be that different from selling soda...

    --
    This guy's the limit!
    1. Re:They should just.... by flyingsquid · · Score: 5, Interesting
      I'm sure the parent is well aware of that. Of course, as another poster points out with Jobs "do you want to sell flavored sugar water or do you want to change the world?", quote, it takes a different kind of CEO to run Apple. Apple always has been about marketing revolutionary machines and software, first with the Apple II, bringing computers to the masses, then the with Mac, redefining operating systems, and then with the iPod and iTunes music store, redefining how people listen to and purchase music.

      People will point out that Macintosh wasn't really first with any of these things, and rightly so. Apple's genius has laid not so much in inventing (although it does a fair amount of that, a lot more than Microsoft) but in using a combination of engineering, fashion design and marketing to bring these things mainstream.

      Honestly I don't know that Apple can survive without Jobs, at least not the Apple that has thrived on being at the cutting edge. He was the vision behind it initially, they putted along and then foundered without him, and they've made a huge comeback with him. His combination of vision, drive, cult-like fanatacism, and titanic ego kept it going. Likewise I kind of wonder if Gates handing the reins over on Microsoft was what turned it from unstoppable devourer of worlds into the dumb, lumbering behemoth its been lately. It just seems like the qualities that certain CEOs and businessmen use to keep their companies on the cutting edge are not just difficult to incorporate into a corporate culture, they are almost the polar opposite of being part of a corporate culture- a willingness to break ranks, take risks, and think in a completely different way.

    2. Re:They should just.... by telbij · · Score: 4, Interesting

      I'd be interested to see if Apple's margins have actually dropped much recently on their hardware. Yes iPod is more successful, but as far as I know Apple's 'PC' business is still plenty profitable.

      As Apple's marketshare has dwindled everyone translated that into Apple failing... but here's the thing, Apple isn't trying to sell cash registers, or help desk terminals, or word processors, or shipping stations. Those markets have grown explosively over the past 15 years, that's where the majority of PC growth is. The margins are so low Dell and Gateway have to sell 10 machines to equal the profit margin on a single Mac. Meanwhile any of those companies can be blown out of the water by the next bargain basement Chinese manufacturer.

      Back in the OS 9 days, I think your argument would make more sense. OS 9 and Windows were so similar that commoditization was a real possibility. These days though, Macs are an a uniquely strong niche market: Professional Apps + UNIX. The value of OS X and it's developer base is not something that can easily be recreated by any other company. It's a lot more conceivable that Apple loses its appeal to the fickle iPod market where the only barrier to entry is creating a device. No one's been able to do it so far, but with the right marketing and a sense among hipsters that the ipod is 'so 2005' anything could happen.

      I don't see OS X grabbing a lot of marketshare, or Apple's PC business growing fast, but I see them as having the strongest userbase of perhaps any electronics manufacturer. It may not satisfy Wall Street, but it will keep the profits coming in...

  3. Promote from within?? by Lije+Baley · · Score: 4, Insightful

    What is this, a time warp? These days companies don't "groom" new talent, they buy it. They prefer to buy other companies' overhyped leaders, just like they buy other companies' overhyped projects instead of doing their own R&D.

    --
    Strange things are afoot at the Circle-K.
    1. Re:Promote from within?? by tktk · · Score: 4, Funny

      I hear they can buy Michael Dell for only $389k after a $330k instant rebate.

    2. Re:Promote from within?? by mikeisme77 · · Score: 5, Funny

      But it's a mail in rebate :P Who wants to deal with the hassle of all that? And sometimes you mysteriously don't receive the rebate check, and even when you do you have to wait like 10 weeks (about 2-3 credit card payments in between...) Is it really worth the hassle just to save $330k?

      --
      Read my blog posts on usability.
    3. Re:Promote from within?? by 10Ghz · · Score: 4, Insightful

      "They prefer to buy other companies' overhyped leaders, just like they buy other companies' overhyped projects instead of doing their own R&D."

      Like NeXT :)?

      --
      Lesbian Nazi Hookers Abducted by UFOs and Forced Into Weight Loss Programs - -all next week on Town Talk.
  4. Not merely grooming them by Quiet_Desperation · · Score: 4, Funny

    They are also getting a full shampoo, claw clipping, complete set of shots and, if needed, spaying/neutering.

    1. Re:Not merely grooming them by Diomedes01 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Are they also getting their anal sacs cleaned?

      --
      "To hope's end I rode and to heart's breaking: Now for wrath, now for ruin and a red nightfall!"
  5. John? ... by Gary+W.+Longsine · · Score: 5, Funny

    John C. Dvorak? I thought that was you! How have you been, old buddy, old pal?

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    If you mod me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.
  6. Re:Where are these new managers? by Ubergrendle · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Your argument that "non-IT managers outsource to India, IT managers don't" clearly shows your lack of understanding (and respect) for management as a profession. Management does NOT mean keeping you people happy all the time; its impossible. Good management though does mean being consistent, supportive of your staff and their career growth, providing a positive work environment, and making hard decisions. It is HARDER to manage and individual's performance problem, or to selectively reduce headcount, than it is to give everyone 2 hour lunches and install a pool table in the cafeteria.

    As for outsourcing...if I have a stable operations environment, solid architecture, dependable project management, reliable Q/A, and a clear product lifecycle infront of me, why WOULDN'T I outsource development if the quality was the same, I retain the source code, and I can get it for pennies on the dollar?

    --
    John Maynard Keynes: "When the facts change, I change my mind. What do you do?"
  7. There can only be one Jobsian by arcite · · Score: 4, Funny

    For centuries, two races have evolved hidden deeply within Apple co. The aristocratic, sophisticated Newtonites, and the brutal, feral Hypercardians. To humanity, their existence is no more than a whisper of a myth. But to each other, they are lifelong mortal rivals, sworn to wage a secret war until only one is left standing. In the midst of this ongoing struggle, an ipod warrior, itunes, discovers a Hypercardian plot to kidnap a young pippin off spring. After shadowing Pippin through the city, the Newtonites forms an unprecedented bond with it, and when the Hypercardians make their next move, Newton is there to fend off their vicious assault. As it races to save Pippin and unravel the Hypercard intrigue surrounding Pippin, the Newtonites discovers a secret that has terrifying repercussions for both Departments--a nefarious plan to awaken a new invincible Application of domination that combines the strengths of both devices and the weaknesses of neither, which threatens to tip the balance of power in favor of the Hypercardians, who have been on the losing end of the struggle for decades. There can only be one! Long live the Jobs.