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Apple Names New Chairman
angry tapir writes "Arthur Levinson, former CEO of biotech company Genentech, is taking on the chairmanship of Apple's board, filling the role that Apple founder Steve Jobs vacated when he died last month."
El Reg notes that Disney CEO/President Robert Iger was also appointed to the board, and that this marks the first time since the return of Steve Jobs to Apple that the CEO and board chairman were different people.
please let him be some jacked roid raging hairy chested mans man. every time i look at an apple product i felt like watching the view and eating some ice cream
These are pretty conventional corporate appointments, which leads me to wonder how much longer the Steve Job's aura will last. I think they would have been better off appointing a very charismatic figurehead as CEO (as the *public* face), and then letting the business folks quietly run the show behind the scenes. It's hard to believe that fans will one day cry like their daddy died when Tim Cook or one of these corporate insiders leaves. And Apple has always relied on a certain degree of devotion from their fans (I'll resist the cult comparison) and an image of hipness.
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
Maximizing profits to boost short term share price will be the #1 focus of the company going forward.
So, the biotech place only sells R+D to megacorps and their customer experience is designed for PHDs in ChemEng, Chem, Bio, MDs, and of course, beancounters.
The Disney guy thinks he should own our culture in perpetuity and the government should enforce and extend failing business models, admittedly a widely held belief.
Who, if anyone in their leadership, cares about the general public actually buying their stuff?
I could see this resulting in a big push for "ItunesU", or tablet/phone electronic medical records, or maybe an even more draconian DRM setup. Any way this team could benefit the general public?
The best I can come up with is something like a real world highly integrated "medical tricoder" that is DRM locked down so you/your doc/your med insurance has to pay apple each time they want to look at your records, forever. Also the tricoder only works with Apple-approved MRI units, Apple-approved IV pumps, etc.
"Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
I think Apple should have tapped Job's Disney connections so his corpse could be brought back in animatronic form.
Like Apple, Disney is nearly obsesive about protecting it's IP; while ripping off everybody else's IP.
this marks the first time since the return of Steve Jobs to Apple that the CEO and board chairman were different people.
...you are witness to the fact AAPL is all grown-up, its founding father passed on. This is what a mature, responsible and somber AAPL stewards its legacy.
After the shock, transition and adjustment to losing its visionary leader fades, you can expect Apple to find its vision, voice and vocation going forward. Not now
I don't understand all the Art bashing here. I worked under Art when he ran Genentech research, and later when he was promoted to CEO. He was a genius at getting other geniuses (and no, I'm not counting myself in that category) to give their best, most creative work. He made Genentech a fun, exciting place to work. We all worked hard (very hard), but were well rewarded and felt the work was vital and exciting stuff. I think he has exactly what it takes to help guide Apple. He's not some bean-counter, suit wearing executive. He's a scientist at heart, and as hard-core a geek as any one could want (he was known for using UNIX mail even after the company rolled out a custom mail interface).
I recall what happened to Apple last time an outsider became a high-level executive. Damn near killed the company. Remains to be seen how this will all play out, but I think we'll see more commodification of Apple's various lines, pruning out stuff seen as not productive (computers, for example), and a slow decline in "wow" factor as the Jobs gang loses more control and leave the company. The goal will be to maximize the bottom line in whatever way possible, killing off the gold-egg-laying goose. Without a strong leader who can force a company to stay focused on what's over the next horizon, stockholders will force the focus to the next quarter's dividends. Sad, but that's life.
On a slightly-related note, I wonder if Steve's will has been read? There may be a clause in there that requires Apple to change it's corporate name to something like "Greedy Content Whoremongers" or some such.
People accused Apple of being evil. HAH, It'll take a Disney exec to show them how its really done!
who prays for Satan? Who in 18 centuries has had the humanity to pray for the 1 sinner that needed it most? ~Mark Twain