Apple designer Jony Ive rumored to be considering move back to UK

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  • Reply 61 of 146
    cameronjcameronj Posts: 2,357member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by penchanted View Post


    It's true that stereotypes exist just about everywhere but Americans, due a great deal to geography, have simply not travelled abroad much. They have not had the opportunity to meet people substantially different from themselves both culturally and in terms of their history and language. IMO, these makes it very difficult for them to understand a lot of what is happening in other parts of the world and their typical assumption is that most people should aspire to be like Americans since we have enjoyed such success.



    So, a Brit who travels to France understands what's happening in Egypt better than a Californian who travels to Texas?



    I also disagree that you cannot travel (EASILY) in the USA without meeting people with substantially different histories, language and culture. Ignoring the fact that 3+ generation Americans who live in Louisiana are hugely different in all of those ways from someone from Boston, America is also full of large communities of 1st and 2nd generation immigrants from other places.
  • Reply 62 of 146
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by penchanted View Post


    He probably wants his kids to receive an education that emphasizes their British roots rather than one which focuses on American history. Add to that the fact that many other countries are not nearly as myopic in their world views and see things from a vastly different perspective than Americans.



    It's not about world view. The US has one of the worst educational systems in the world, especially for early education. This is a known fact and comes out any time anyone makes an objective study of educational systems and their relative merits and successes. It's too bad for Americans that this is so, but it is a fact.



    Personally, I think this "news" has more to do with the fact that it will send the stock *down* just one week before it's almost certainly going to *rise* when the iPad 2 event happens. He bought the house ages ago. A leak like this, at this particular time smells greatly of stock manipulation to me.
  • Reply 63 of 146
    It's so easy to see the people that we look up to and do these things we think as awesome as just being that. It's easy to see Steve Jobs as the visionary from Apple and Johantan Ive's as the amazing designer that we forget they are human beings too.



    I've meet/known and seen a few people I look up to this way and was amazed to see them doing very average things, having very average human emotions etc etc.



    Ive is not just the guy that makes awesome designs for the latest iPod for iMac, that's just his day job, he is a human being and I guess his desires and wants as a real person will be number 1.



    Things like this are going to happen and sometimes it sucks for us who enjoy the output of these "genius" people. But just imagine if people only knew you and thought of you for what you do and that's all that mattered? Crazy....



    That being said, without Jobs and Ive I think Apple might be in for a bit of a wobbly time, certainly a very large period of readjustment at a very critical stage for the company as a whole.



    Sure there are some 40,000 people working at Apple and they are awesome people, but whatcha going to do? Give a box of crayons to the guy working at the Apple store and ask him to draw you a new iPhone!?



    Ive has the job and title that he has, as does Steve, because he is the best person inside the company to do that. If someone else was better for that role, they'd be there. There is a lot of awesome people at Apple that make all this happen (i.e Tim Cook) but these are the people directing it all. Without these people you have a bunch of intelligent people making crap happen because nobody is there to bring the awesome.



    On a side note, bringing Kids up in the culture of the UK is crap, there is no culture here. To many American's watching too much TV that shows a dreamlike culture that doesn't exist. Granted we may not quite be as crappy as the US, but we still suck pretty much in this regard,.



    Although ultimately we are all talking a bunch of crap about stuff we know nothing about. Good times!
  • Reply 64 of 146
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by cameronj View Post


    So, a Brit who travels to France understands what's happening in Egypt better than a Californian who travels to Texas?



    I also disagree that you cannot travel (EASILY) in the USA without meeting people with substantially different histories, language and culture. Ignoring the fact that 3+ generation Americans who live in Louisiana are hugely different in all of those ways from someone from Boston, America is also full of large communities of 1st and 2nd generation immigrants from other places.



    I am a second-generation American - all my grandparents were born in Italy. And I am not suggesting that I would prefer to live in any other country - my life is quite comfortable here. But I have travelled quite extensively (especially in Europe) and I see that people, by and large, have a different perspective than most Americans do. Some of this is explained by the close proximity of different countries who fought wars and learned to live peaceably with their neighbors. It's also important that these countries built and lost their empires while the US still engages aggressively in "nation building". Most Europeans view the world differently than most Americans.



    Yes there are cultural differences within the US. I grew up in California and attended an eastern university. Things were very different but I still shared a common language, history and culture with most the other students. The differences are a bit more pronounced when going from London to Paris, Paris to Amsterdam or Amsterdam to Warsaw. People are used to dealing with people vastly different than themselves.



    I am not suggesting that Americans are horrible people; they are, in fact, quite generous. But ask an American where Yemen is and why it might be important and you are likely to get a blank look. For an uncomfortable evaluation of our education system, you need only turn on the Tonight Show when Leno asks people what should be simple questions that completely counfound people.
  • Reply 65 of 146
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by eAi View Post


    I would expect that that vast majority of people in the uk have been to another country. Our countries are a lot smaller, of course. I found one figure in a quick google that says that 90% of British citizens have a passport (compared to 25% of US citizens)..



    I have been to the UK for extended periods three times in different years. Among the international cities where I have been, London would be one of the cities where I can feel at home.



    As to visa, that is one good criteria, but it depends where they are going. If I hazard to guess, it is mostly in nearby countries, perhaps the more affluent and adventurous come to the US and all other countries.



    One built in advantage of the US, compared to some of the countries I have been to in Europe, the US is more polyethnic, especially in major metropolitan areas everywhere. Californaia, and a few of the states also are becoming more polyethnic. College towns are similarly becoming more polyethnic. And, if you are a student, even more so in many of the large universities.



    Boston is a very good example. The beauty is that you can interact with many cultures on a daily basis, at work, during meals and recreations, conferences, etc. With an open mind, one can really learn about peoples and their cultures from such extensive and constant interactions***. [Better than the glimpse or insight you get from a week or so of travel.]



    The US is almost as large as continental Europe. Because of its diversity, going from one region to another exposes you to very diverse cultures, literary. This is mainly because the US remains a country of immigrants. Even regions that are mostly White have their own distinct flavors, and that is partly because of the migrants have not been dispersed randomly.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by penchanted View Post


    It's true that stereotypes exist just about everywhere but Americans, due a great deal to geography, have simply not travelled abroad much. They have not had the opportunity to meet people substantially different from themselves both culturally and in terms of their history and language. IMO, these makes it very difficult for them to understand a lot of what is happening in other parts of the world and their typical assumption is that most people should aspire to be like Americans since we have enjoyed such success.



    Did you get a chance to travel and live for extended periods to different parts of the US? I have been to California, numerous times in California, over the years. But, last year, I had a chance to go there and live (interacted) with Californians and I gained quite more about life in California compared to what I learned during my short visits there. That is also true with my visits to New York. a city that we visited quite enough when we were students. A German friend of mine (who loves New York) invited me to stay with him for an extended weekend; and I got a glimpse of New York that was quite different from all my other short visits. I feel more at home in Boston though, compared to other cities I have been, because it may be a city, but it still has that small town feeling with many multi-ethnic enclaves (not only of other nationalities but also White Americans).



    The points presented above apply. This is coming from someone like myself who came from another country. I have been well read when I was at home, and I thought I knew a lot about the world, or even the US with all the good and bad. But, coming here first as student, it was quite an awakening.



    On the whole, what I found is that most of the Americans I have interacted are decent, whatever walk of life, they came from. I have even interacted with what are called "Rednecks" and some really "conservative" people. If you look beyond what many would disparage as their stereotypical characterization, on the whole they have their own good side -- especially once you get to know them, and they get to interact with you.



    My main concern in the polarization and intense extremism, especially in politics and morality; but I am not sure if such situations do not exists in other countries. It may be more intense in the US because of the diversities in cultures.



    CGC



    ***Of course, interactions in university and research/tech towns would be biased by the fact that many foreigners able to go to elite schools the US may not be representative (the average) of their own cultures -- they are either the "exceptional" intellectually or econimically. At the same time, in places like Boston, one can actually meet peoples from all over the world coming from different walks of life.
  • Reply 66 of 146
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by aplnub View Post


    Not much. He may just want them to get back in his own culture.





    Btw, anyone think Ive looked 56??????



    That would be Steve...read the article again...
  • Reply 67 of 146
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Prof. Peabody View Post


    It's not about world view. The US has one of the worst educational systems in the world, especially for early education. This is a known fact and comes out any time anyone makes an objective study of educational systems and their relative merits and successes. It's too bad for Americans that this is so, but it is a fact.



    Personally, I think this "news" has more to do with the fact that it will send the stock *down* just one week before it's almost certainly going to *rise* when the iPad 2 event happens. He bought the house ages ago. A leak like this, at this particular time smells greatly of stock manipulation to me.



    Yes, our public education system sucks. I was fortunate enough to have a private education. I also had the benefit of traveling abroad from the time I was young - it does make a difference. As far as world views go, it's scary when people who barely know the geography and history of an area are asked to come up with a solution for its problems.



    I do agree that this should have been a great week for Apple stock after its recent retreat and with the iPad2 announcement. But I am on record mentioning my concern about Ive leaving Apple for a while now and do consider this a serious challenge for Apple especially if Jobs is unable to return to work. As long as one of them is at Apple, I feel comfortable that there is a strong product vision. If both were to leave at the same time, I am nervous about where that product vision will develop.
  • Reply 68 of 146
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by penchanted View Post


    He probably wants his kids to receive an education that emphasizes their British roots rather than one which focuses on American history. Add to that the fact that many other countries are not nearly as myopic in their world views and see things from a vastly different perspective than Americans.



    By that you mean an actual education not just teaching kids that everyone is a winner.
  • Reply 69 of 146
    Simple. Set up a nice little design studio in his home town, and telecommute. Then, make a trip back quarterly, and all is happy.
  • Reply 70 of 146
    sheffsheff Posts: 1,407member
    If a man gotta go he gotta go. I'm sure there are more talented designers in the US willing to live in Cupertino or its surroundings and if he leaves ample time to find a replacement I don't think there is a problem. Apple is not a company afraid of change.



    I am not saying Ive is unimportant, i'm saying that if he needs to go, I'm sure there is someone else apple can tap for the job.
  • Reply 71 of 146
    freerangefreerange Posts: 1,597member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Paul94544 View Post


    Everything in the natural world obeys this law

    Birth

    rising

    shining

    decay

    death

    Apple is beginning it decay stage



    Oh please - give us a break! Another clueless poster...
  • Reply 72 of 146
    freerangefreerange Posts: 1,597member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by stuffe View Post


    Whilst I can work from home as a generic office worker, I am not sure that an engineer whose job involves designing/testing/prototyping physical objects would get away with it...



    Its done all the time!
  • Reply 73 of 146
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by solsun View Post


    I agree with all but the last line. It's still too soon to tell..



    Things do seem like they are changing, but we could just be witnessing a "changing of the guards," and who knows where the next shift will take the company.



    Hopefully someplace better than the Sculley/Spindler/Amelio shift.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by gchriste View Post


    Where would you put Microsoft and Nokia then?



    For MS there needs to be a "coasting" stage, where you make your money off legacy. Otherwise they'd be well into decay.
  • Reply 74 of 146
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Paul94544 View Post


    Everything in the natural world obeys this law

    Birth

    rising

    shining

    decay

    death

    Apple is beginning it decay stage



    You wish. Mr. Ive has a massive team of quality designers making him look good for the past decade. He got all the recognition for the iMac when it first came out and ever since everyone keeps lavishing him praise for designing Apple's line ups. Nothing could be further from the truth.
  • Reply 75 of 146
    Quote:

    Apple's lead designer Jony Ive is said to be on the cusp of cashing in some $30 million in stock options, and eyeing a move back to his home country of the U.K.



    According to the Times of London (behind a paywall, via TUAW), Ive, the senior vice president of industrial design at Apple, was given a "golden handcuffs" option grant in 2008. Since then, the amount has grown so much that Ive's profits could amount to $30 million in U.S. dollars.



    In all, Ive is said to be worth about $128 million, and he owns a house in Somerset, U.K., reportedly worth about $4 million. It's the distance from his home to Apple's Cupertino, Calif., campus that's said to have caused he and Apple's board to be "at loggerheads."





    Contrary to the belief of Steve Jobs, you can't buy the love... or loyalty of company executives by showering them with lavish stock option bonuses. All that you achieve with such a lame strategy is to set the stage for a bigger disappointment later on when the executive, like Jonathan Ive, is not called upon for a higher function up the corporate ladder.



    For what reason, he says, would Apple have given me such an unheard of stock option bonus if the Apple Board of directors didn't have big plans for me? And when those big plans meet with reality, the executive is so disappointed that he loses all motivation to carry on and continue his day to day job at Apple corporate headquarters. All of a sudden, the stockholders, Mac users and Mac developpers mean nothing to Jonathan Ive, just as his inspired designs for Apple.



    Jonathan Ive never had any loyalty for Apple. And now, Jony has a bruised ego!





  • Reply 76 of 146
    John? John C. Dvorak? Is that you?
  • Reply 77 of 146
    cameronjcameronj Posts: 2,357member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ouragan View Post


    Contrary to the belief of Steve Jobs, you can't buy the love... or loyalty of company executives by showering them with lavish stock option bonuses. All that you achieve with such a lame strategy is to set the stage for a bigger disappointment later on when the executive, like Jonathan Ive, is not called upon for a higher function up the corporate ladder.



    You misunderstand capitalism (and human nature). You don't try to buy loyalty. You buy performance, and Apple succeeded explosively.
  • Reply 78 of 146
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Paul94544 View Post


    Everything in the natural world obeys this law

    Birth

    rising

    shining

    decay

    death

    Apple is beginning it decay stage



    Apple died in 1997. It was acquired by NeXT. Go check your history book.
  • Reply 79 of 146
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ouragan View Post


    Contrary to the belief of Steve Jobs, you can't buy the love... or loyalty of company executives by showering them with lavish stock option bonuses. All that you achieve with such a lame strategy is to set the stage for a bigger disappointment later on when the executive, like Jonathan Ive, is not called upon for a higher function up the corporate ladder.



    For what reason, he says, would Apple have given me such an unheard of stock option bonus if the Apple Board of directors didn't have big plans for me? And when those big plans meet with reality, the executive is so disappointed that he loses all motivation to carry on and continue his day to day job at Apple corporate headquarters. All of a sudden, the stockholders, Mac users and Mac developpers mean nothing to Jonathan Ive, just as his inspired designs for Apple.



    Jonathan Ive never had any loyalty for Apple. And now, Jony has a bruised ego!









    The purpose of sock options are to align an individuals performance with the performance of the company.



    For example, why does Steve Jobs work so hard for Apple?

    His $1 salary? No.



    If Steve does a good job then Apple's stock price goes up.

    If Apple's stock price goes up Steve is rewarded for his performance by the increased value of his stock options.
  • Reply 80 of 146
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by stokessd View Post


    I'm a US citizen and I've been spending two weeks a year in the UK for the last few years. I'd move there in a heartbeat if I could find a reasonable job there (I'm a PhD type). Given his design aesthetic, and our walmart culture here in the USA, that doesn't surprise me a bit.





    Sheldon



    Sounds like you're out in the burbs or Texas. No wonder you want to leave.



    You're in the wrong American city...
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