Al Gore is the MAN!

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
Apparently he led the internal investigation group into the stock options "scandal". This is good because he has a good, no-nonsense reputation. Means the internal investigation was fairly solid, IMO. 8)



Unfortunately the iLeader "was aware of or recommended" stock backdating but was "unaware" that THIS WAS VERY NAUGHTY. Well, he can't be perfect, at the best case, worst case, karma's a bitch ain't it...!



They *have* got two former execs as the scapegoats. All that is needed is the "smoking gun(s)" that they did the backdating and fabricated some board approval documents, and this cloud over Apple/ AAPL shall slowly go away.



Well, my cynical view of things. Let the witchhunt be quick! Since iSteve is unlikely to be lynched, may justice be swift and stern. Off with their heads!
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 42
    shady104shady104 Posts: 332member
    at least hes good at something.
  • Reply 2 of 42
    wilcowilco Posts: 985member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by shady104 View Post


    at least hes good at something.



    Regardless of politics, it's a pretty good bet that what he flushed down the toilet this morning has a higher IQ than you.
  • Reply 3 of 42
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by shady104 View Post


    at least hes good at something.



    An ass statement. Watch An Inconvenient Truth including all the extra features, Directors commentary etc., and then come back and dare to say the same thing again. I'm from Ireland so I'm completely biased in my views. Republican, Democrat, I don't give a shit! He's a legend IMO, the man's a legend. Gore for President 2008. The word ignorant is grossly and ironically misunderstood by many, I suggest you look it up.
  • Reply 4 of 42
    sunilramansunilraman Posts: 8,133member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by wilco View Post


    Regardless of politics, it's a pretty good bet that what he flushed down the toilet this morning has a higher IQ than you.



    ROFLMAO
  • Reply 5 of 42
    icfireballicfireball Posts: 2,594member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by shady104 View Post


    at least hes good at something.



    Yes, you don't know what you are talking about. The man is brilliant, and George Bush is a pussywhip.
  • Reply 6 of 42
    jccbinjccbin Posts: 476member
    Algore is an incompetent, ignorant fearmonger.



    And he was asked to be on Apple's board just to cover someone's butt in such a scandal.
  • Reply 7 of 42
    chuckerchucker Posts: 5,089member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jccbin View Post


    Algore is an incompetent, ignorant fearmonger.



    And he was asked to be on Apple's board just to cover someone's butt in such a scandal.



    Really.



    So why did he join the board in March 2003? Are you going to tell us that he was preparing to handle the options scandal, three and a half years before?
  • Reply 8 of 42
    physguyphysguy Posts: 920member
    Quote:

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by jccbin

    Algore is an incompetent, ignorant fearmonger.



    And he was asked to be on Apple's board just to cover someone's butt in such a scandal.

    Really.



    So why did he join the board in March 2003? Are you going to tell us that he was preparing to handle the options scandal, three and a half years before?



    2003? Hmmmmmm ... Given the dates maybe



    Quote:

    Aug. 29, 2001: Apple's board of directors gives preliminary approval to 7.5 million stock options for chief executive Steve Jobs.

    Oct. 19, 2001: A board meeting allegedly takes place at which stock options with an exercise price of $18.30 are approved. The price reflects the market value of the underlying shares on that day. Apple later admits the meeting never happened.

    Dec. 18, 2001: The stock options are finalized, on a date when the exercise price should be $21.01. Instead, the options bear the exercise price of $18.30.

    March 2003: Jobs's options are cancelled and he is awarded 5 million shares of restricted stock.



  • Reply 9 of 42
    You newbs need to get off the politics.
  • Reply 10 of 42
    icfireballicfireball Posts: 2,594member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jccbin View Post


    Algore is an incompetent, ignorant fearmonger.



    And he was asked to be on Apple's board just to cover someone's butt in such a scandal.



    Does that also explain why Al Gore is an adviser of Google's senior management?



    Gore is the highest elected official to have run a marathon while in office. He ran the 1997 Marine Corps Marathon in 4:58:25 or a pace of 11:25/mile. His Secret Service agents were also runners and changed every few miles.
  • Reply 11 of 42
    eckingecking Posts: 1,588member
    And he invented the internet.
  • Reply 12 of 42
    spindlerspindler Posts: 713member
    There's a very simple reason why Steve Jobs is innocent in all of this. He has no motive to do it, and he certainly wouldn't need to or want to risk himself to help anyone else out. He could have just taken a standard $200m paycheck if he wanted to instead of knowingly doing something risky like making the same $200m through illegal transactions. And no one in Apple is going to FORCE Steve Jobs to take part in any scheme he doesn't want to take part in. He could easily fire them before they force him to do anything. So there's just no motive for him doing anything wrong and no reason to believe he would take any risk at all.
  • Reply 13 of 42
    irelandireland Posts: 17,798member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dancm2000 View Post


    You newbs need to get off the politics.



    Who you calling a noob.
  • Reply 14 of 42
    I was always under the impression that Al Gore was a tree.
  • Reply 15 of 42
    chuckerchucker Posts: 5,089member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by ecking View Post


    And he invented the internet.



    He never claimed to have.
  • Reply 16 of 42
    physguyphysguy Posts: 920member
    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Chucker

    He never claimed to have



    Heres the Quote from Mr. Gore



    Quote:

    "During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative in creating the Internet."



    That's close enough for me as it leave the impression that he created [invented] it. He should have said "During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative to push for funding and support for those creating the Internet" not that he created it. - Share the credit -



    So I would way that while he didn't claim to invent it he only claimed to create it
  • Reply 17 of 42
    chuckerchucker Posts: 5,089member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by physguy View Post


    Heres the Quote from Mr. Gore







    That's close enough for me as it leave the impression that he created [invented] it. He should have said "During my service in the United States Congress, I took the initiative to push for funding and support for those creating the Internet" not that he created it. - Share the credit -



    So I would way that while he didn't claim to invent it he only claimed to create it



    His statement was unclear and perhaps deliberately misleading, but it sure isn't equal to him saying that he "created" or "invented" the Internet.



    http://www.snopes.com/quotes/internet.asp
  • Reply 18 of 42
    jccbinjccbin Posts: 476member
    Chucker,



    I suspect that all this options hullabaloo has roots with Ms./Mrs. Heinen. She was one of the NeXTies that came over with Jobs.



    The NeXTies were arrogant and condescending of Apple, and they very likely took their arrogance to heart. Avi Tevanian did.



    Apple's advisory attorneys surely knew of this. They also knew that there is advantage in having a high level politico on the board. Of course Jobs' ego would accept the idea. Gore makes a nice little story to tell, especially with the slideshow-cum-movie about Gore's devolution into full-blown Chicken Little. Simply put: There is no, none, zero evidence to prove Gore's stance. It is all estimation, guestimation, and politically-motivated tomfoolery.



    Al Gore was chosen for the effect he would have, regardless of the specific case: Bureaucrats fear bigger bureaucrats and Gore was second-biggest in the country.



    Chucker, we may never know the extent and depth of the knowledge of the legal problems related to Heinen or when they came to SOMEONE's attention at Apple. Heinen left in May of 05, and probably began leaving as much as a year in advance....



    It certainly makes sense that Gore would be hired to fend of potential investigations, whether by reputation or by political arm-twisting.



    Does anyone perchance know when the industry-wide options scandals began to be noticed?
  • Reply 19 of 42
    rolorolo Posts: 686member
    Talk about temporary insanity. I fear some of it isn't temporary.



    I agree with Sunilraman, Al is the MAN! I'll be happy when attention can be turned to cool stuff at Macworld and away from all the options folderol.



    Where in heck are the crude pencil drawings of the secret stuff, hmm?
  • Reply 20 of 42
    mr. dirkmr. dirk Posts: 187member
    Backdating opitons isn't illegal. (Forging documents, however, would be.) A company can give options to its employees at whatever strike price they choose. What was wrong was the accounting for the stock options: when the backdated options were given to the employees, they already had intrinsic value--but they were accounted for as if they had no value, as if the strike price was the same as the stock price on the day the options were awarded.



    So Steve should be safe--it would be fine to recommend that the Board "give the options at this strike price, which is lower than the current stock price" (what I deduce Steve did, given the company's statements), but it wouldn't be okay for him to say "give these options and then account for them as if the strike price were equal to the stock price."
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