When Steve is gone, who will replace him? Will company fail?

[SXR]

I WILL REPLACE HIM...

First order of business, drop the price of the Mini to $399!

Second, AppleTV with the A4 processor, Bluetooth capable for a mouse and keyboard, and an Apple Gaming controller, and add the AppleTV App store! Drop the price to $199 for the 160 Gig model!

Next, drop the price of the basic MacBook and iMac to $599!

The company will do AWESOME!

and while you're at it , change the App Store terms, 99/1 in favor of the developer .

lol, seriously though , SJ is a visionary , I don't think anyone can replace him.. but yes, he will pass away at some point.... i hope thats a long time from now though.

 

[NT1440]

I understand. I think we are kind of on the same page. You think that Apple won't change directions when there is no more SJ? I am a little confused. It seems like you understand that SJ has tailored the company to himself. If that is the case, when he is gone, things will change even if it takes a lot of time. No?

Maybe if years and years go by, but the company's attitude and approach isn't going to change overnight just because jobs isn't there.

 

[SXR]

Maybe not overnight , but with someone else as CEO , the company will change in the long term I think and for Apple stockholders, I hope it changes for the better.

I think its amazing that SJ founded the company something like 30 years ago , and still is the CEO. Apple is doing great!

 

[kdarling]

Maybe if years and years go by, but the company's attitude and approach isn't going to change overnight just because jobs isn't there.

Some attitudes could change instantly. For example, employees might be less fearful of being fired

When he was out for his transplant, the Apple campus was reportedly a lot more upbeat and lighthearted. At the least, they no longer worried about accidentally getting in an elevator with their CEO.

One of my favorite Apple legends is when Jobs tried to fire a visitor.

 

[surferfromuk]

Tough call - my money would be on Forestall but fortunately we don't have to worry about this now for at least 15-20 years.

 

[rhett7660]

Some attitudes could change instantly. For example, employees might be less fearful of being fired

When he was out for his transplant, the Apple campus was reportedly a lot more upbeat and lighthearted. At the least, they no longer worried about accidentally getting in an elevator with their CEO.

One of my favorite Apple legends is when Jobs tried to fire a visitor.

Ok.. completely off subject but that was funny and the site is freaking great. There are some seriously funny stories!

Ok.. back on subject!

 

[63dot]

I think Apple's other leaders are not as... rigid... as Jobs. Some changes that could happen after Jobs is gone:

1) Opening up to new markets (e.g. Verizon) and cooperation with other companies which Jobs supposedly avoids for personal reasons.

2) More customization allowed.

3) Less control over the App Store.

In other words, Apple will do fine. However, many fans will miss their Jobs' RDF fix.

Exactly what I think. Apple survived with or without Jobs in an industry where dozens, if not hundreds of companies never got past their first year.

As far as the Verizon angle, when Macworld caught up with him and tried to pin him down on if he was open to other vendors (in the US market, because there are six or more in other countries), he shut up like a clam.

Usually when Jobs has no comment and goes out of his way to stay quiet, it's pretty easy to read from his past actions that total silence means there is a bold move in the near future.

He was super quiet about the obviousness of an iBook or consumer laptop, and totally dodged any questions about a possible iMac utilizing LCD technology and a departure from the CRT one piece iMac which brought Apple from the red and into great net profits.

I think in Steve's remaining tenure at Apple, we will see a Verizon option, OS X on the iPad or at least a "mobile" OS X, and his personal re-entry into 3D cartoon-movie animation.

After Apple, I can see Jobs regaining his Hollywood producer moniker and cranking out a few more blockbusters. It's what accounts for 99% percent of his wealth, much of it Disney stock. Like Virgin's CEO, Steve Jobs is not destined to be a one trick pony and he still has a chance to be mentioned in the same sentence as a Gates or Buffett. Jobs made $100+ million on Apple alone and is headed in the right direction (from Apple, Next, Pixar, Disney, and other smaller holdings) to become a double digit billionaire.

 

[Eric5h5]

I think apple will be fine. Look at microsoft people thought the same thing about if bill gates took a smaller role in the company. And it's still alive and kicking.

Their stock consistently rose until exactly the same time as Steve Ballmer took over, and since then has declined 50% despite big dividend payouts. Coincidence?

--Eric

 

[*LTD*]

This is all rather moot if Steve sticks around at Apple for another ten years.

 

[63dot]

Their stock consistently rose until exactly the same time as Steve Ballmer took over, and since then has declined 50% despite big dividend payouts. Coincidence?

--Eric

Yes.

Lots of other companies took a decline.

Microsoft is far more than just one person. Microsoft's former president Rick Belluzzo was no lightweight and neither is former president, current CEO Steve Ballmer. While there will never be another CEO like Bill Gates again, in any company, as in terms of being purely competitive and openly monopolistic, the company is stocked pretty well in talent to keep going on for many years to come. That being said, being as competitive as Bill Gates is not always seen as a good thing, just ask Uncle Sam.

I have no worries for Microsoft and if Apple ever lost Steve Jobs, we could use some of the talent (business-wise) that Microsoft has always had. I know Microsoft could certainly use Apple's creativity.

There are not too many companies that I think will be around for decades to come, but names like Microsoft, Cisco, Oracle, Apple, Dell, Sony, and HP come to mind and I can't imagine any bad CEO doing long term damage to companies that well established. We can't live without these giants but in other industries...cars come to mind...nobody seems safe these days.

 

[AppleFan1984]

We might also ask if Steve will remain in the company as long as he's able.

This may sound silly right now, but look at how 2010 is starting off, all the ill will Jobs has generated across so many industries. I can't imagine this won't have any blowback, and perhaps sooner or later the Board may feel a need to reign him in a bit, and I would imagine tempers would flare. Wouldn't be the first time.

 

[Rocketman]

The Time Machine guy Scott Forstall. He is young enough and eloquent enough.

http://www.apple.com/pr/bios/forstall.html

Rocketman