Silly me... And I thought Apple was one big happy brotherhood... Looks like infighting?! If yes, that's sad...
When Steve did this kind of Dirty Laundry in front of the investigators, I'd love to know:
if he thought that his statement wouldn't ever get out?
were his lawyers next to him, whispering in his ear before he answered each Q?
Even if he did or didn't single-handedly save Apple/AAPL - that has been a popular perception out there among the investors!
Infighting is not helpful! Hope this doesn't effect AAPL. But, now that his words came out, the some folks will be looking for any news of infighting, particularly when Steve is back!
As to his ego... It would be nice to know that it's just inaccurate 2nd hand, biased info. But, even if it is true, it's not like he mistreated any of us personally! Differences happen! I am not dwelling on that! Steve is not running for Sainthood! All we hear about him is NOT 1st HAND INFO most of the time! So, for everyone else to take sides is He Said vs. He/She Said! Either ways - SAD!
Also, if Steve is so narcissistic, how come he is so private - no Oprah, no Larry King and such!? Steve hardly does media... And it's not like media is not interested! They've been trying to interview him desperately! Seems like his MODESTY cancels out ? narcissistic ?!!!!
I want Apple to continue making the best products! And based on that, I want AAPL to go through the roof!
As to the Investigators, I like the previous post about Meadoff, map and flash light! So much BIG STUFF happened on Wall Street, and they were going after Apple?!
Hopefully a new way is found, so that companies don't need to use loopholes like backdating!
I can't wait to see Steve back... I want Apple to be a BIG HAPPY FAMILY I always thought were! Maybe I am a bit naïve, but that's how I see the entire Mac Community! So, Let It Be!
Fact remains, nobody was really damaged in this particular case. Steve deserves the money. Shareholders would be glad that he got the money. If not by one way, then another. The method was not perfect, but the result was perfectly OK.
Folks, realize that for CEOS who've had that title for a while, it's about the money only insofar as money - cash or stock - is a way of keeping score. Jobs was absolutely candid on that count. More - in whatever form the board chose to provide him - was that all-important conferring, not of wealth, but WORTH. When that SEC-required annual disclosure of the compensation paid to top executives goes public, it's the CEO's vehicle to let competitors, social circles and the world in general know just what a titan astride the globe that he or she has become.
The score is the one thing that really matters, although most CEOs play the modesty card in public. A few don't give a damn whether others regard them as crass or not - they make sure everyone knows how valuable their board judges them to be.
But even the modest ones fall prey. I was with the CEO of an industry-leading Fortune 500 company once when he learned that one of his industry-leading competitors was compensated half again as much for the preceding year, although the competitor's company had turned in a much poorer performance. I saw this CEO's face crumple in pain when he found out. He was crushed. Everybody craves affection. With one's spouse, it's getting a kiss and a hug. With one's board of directors, it's getting a huge stock grant.
But even the modest ones fall prey. I was with the CEO of an industry-leading Fortune 500 company once when he learned that one of his industry-leading competitors was compensated half again as much for the preceding year, although the competitor's company had turned in a much poorer performance. I saw this CEO's face crumple in pain when he found out. He was crushed. Everybody craves affection. With one's spouse, it's getting a kiss and a hug. With one's board of directors, it's getting a huge stock grant.
That is often a problem though. Everyone wants to be well paid for a job poorly done, the problem here is that the person at the wheel crashes the ship and thinks they're still worth their entire compensation package, despite being paid more than someone that avoided those same shoals. Often, it seems like a lot of the upper echelon operating a company are more interested in raiding the company for their own benefits even if it means destroying said company or have destroyed a company.
I don't think that applies to Apple though. It's going to take me a bit to absorb this, I'll have to re-read the article in the morning. In the past, without some of this new information, it looked like Steve was just self-dealing, going outside of established procedure for setting compensation by backdating without the board's permission. Now it looks more complicated, partly in a good way, and maybe partly in a bad way too.
Why would you e-mail him this? First of all, Jobs will view this information getting out as a violation of his privacy. Second, he hasn't been reading this article along with us, so he'll likely not even know what you were referring to.
I don't get why this information being made available is a violation of his privacy if it was part of a deposition he gave to the SEC. It didn't reveal anything about his personal life, did it?
"he felt underappreciated by his board of directors and as a result asked for a sizable stock grant"
Was this from the time period that Jobs was receiving a $1/year salary? If so, then I can understand the stock options being pretty important.
Although I recall him receiving a Gulfstream jet as a gift from the board at one point. MacAddict ran a funny story about the jet increasing the range of the "reality distortion field" to a 4000 mile radius.
Anyway, it still blows my mind that someone could be the CEO of two growing and trend-setting companies -- Apple and Pixar -- simultaneously.
It's really not about the money? Then why take and keep the money? Why not take and donate every last cent to charity? Not about the money my arse. While I have no problem admitting Jobs has a good head for business I also have not problem admitting he is an absolute jerk too.
The idea, mentioned above, that CEOs use money as a way to keep score really sickens me. It is bad enough to need to "keep score" instead of being proud of the good job you have done? I think we can fairly say we know he did a good job with Apple. But to use money as the manner of showing success just slaps so many people in the face who work just as hard in their lives and earn money to survive. Sorry, nobody needs to be a multimillionaire to survive.
It really about the money? Then why take and keep the money? Why not take and donate every last cent to charity? Not about the money my arse. While I have no problem admitting Jobs has a good head for business I also have not problem admitting he is an absolute jerk too.
Why donate to charity when the government takes half of it away from you anyway?
Jobs is another example of the kind visionary genius, like Walt Disney or George Lucas, who can be a severe pain in the backside to the people that work for them, but those 3 were able to achieve truly wonderous things because of how hard they pushed their people. You don't achieve these sorts of things by being wimpy with people. You have to be extrodinarily meticulous, hard driving and never give up on your dream.
Jobs will leave this world with a legacy that will most likely be unmatched for a long time, but will also set the standard for future generations, particularly since most companies could give a crap about qaulity these days.
Okay, I'm stepping away from the soapbox. Thanks for letting me go on a bit, just had to get that off my chest…
It's well known that Disney is one of his heroes. Also, to clear up any misunderstanding, I consider Jobs to be a true one of a kind business genius. Someone who appears once in a generation. I have nothing but respect for his drive and leadership. When I suggested if anyone had ever done a psychological profile of him, it was to illuminate others what it takes to be a person in his position. It was not meant to disparage. Especially the comment about Aspergers, which is common trait to many in the computer and engineering fields. I know people who display Asperger's traits, and I've also known others with bizarre or unusual tics and behaviors. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Why are those questions idiotic? It would be interesting to see how Steve Jobs stacks up against other CEOs. In case you didn't know, studying successful people in your field is a great way to improve your skills. I wouldn't be surprised if students at business schools are studying him, along with other successful CEOs.
Absolutely right. Success usually breeds imitators, and Jobs is a case study for serious business students and entrepreneurs.
I can't wait to see Steve back... I want Apple to be a BIG HAPPY FAMILY I always thought were! Maybe I am a bit naïve, but that's how I see the entire Mac Community! So, Let It Be!
I haven't worked there, but you have to understand that perfection comes at a very high price. It's not all daffodils and paid vacations.
This must have gone down before they gave him the Gulfstream. I recall Jobs reportedly expressed a lot of appreciation for the plane and said it was something he could really use.
I find it hard to believe the board ever under-appreciated Jobs' obviously great work, they just didn't communicate well about anticipating when he'd want a performance reward.
I don't get why this information being made available is a violation of his privacy if it was part of a deposition he gave to the SEC. It didn't reveal anything about his personal life, did it?
Perhaps it isn't a violation of his privacy, since it involves questioning under oath for a publicly held company, but it does involve personal views of his which he may find embarrassing with public disclosure.
It's really not about the money? Then why take and keep the money? Why not take and donate every last cent to charity? Not about the money my arse. While I have no problem admitting Jobs has a good head for business I also have not problem admitting he is an absolute jerk too.
The idea, mentioned above, that CEOs use money as a way to keep score really sickens me. It is bad enough to need to "keep score" instead of being proud of the good job you have done? I think we can fairly say we know he did a good job with Apple. But to use money as the manner of showing success just slaps so many people in the face who work just as hard in their lives and earn money to survive. Sorry, nobody needs to be a multimillionaire to survive.
Why shouldn't a person in his position be compensated for a job well done, and the reverse also applies. If a CEO is a monumental disaster for a company, why shouldn't he be fired?
Yes, people of all kinds work hard all of their lives to make a living. It's by luck, personal ambition or circumstance that keeps you or me from being in the same position. Don't envy him for what he has, take care of your own.
Comments
When Steve did this kind of Dirty Laundry in front of the investigators, I'd love to know:
if he thought that his statement wouldn't ever get out?
were his lawyers next to him, whispering in his ear before he answered each Q?
Even if he did or didn't single-handedly save Apple/AAPL - that has been a popular perception out there among the investors!
Infighting is not helpful! Hope this doesn't effect AAPL. But, now that his words came out, the some folks will be looking for any news of infighting, particularly when Steve is back!
As to his ego... It would be nice to know that it's just inaccurate 2nd hand, biased info. But, even if it is true, it's not like he mistreated any of us personally! Differences happen! I am not dwelling on that! Steve is not running for Sainthood!
Also, if Steve is so narcissistic, how come he is so private - no Oprah, no Larry King and such!? Steve hardly does media... And it's not like media is not interested! They've been trying to interview him desperately! Seems like his MODESTY cancels out ? narcissistic ?!!!!
I want Apple to continue making the best products! And based on that, I want AAPL to go through the roof!
As to the Investigators, I like the previous post about Meadoff, map and flash light! So much BIG STUFF happened on Wall Street, and they were going after Apple
Hopefully a new way is found, so that companies don't need to use loopholes like backdating!
I can't wait to see Steve back... I want Apple to be a BIG HAPPY FAMILY I always thought were! Maybe I am a bit naïve, but that's how I see the entire Mac Community! So, Let It Be
Last time I checked, system wide spell check is already here. Seems to be checking my spelling just fine as I type this.
No- I guess I mean auto-correct like in word.
Every narcissist wants his balls stroked, it goes with the personality disorder.
STFU. You know nothing of the man. Narcissism is not even on the horizon about this guy. I've worked for him twice. He's not remotely narcissistic.
Gates on the other hand, from colleagues, thinks he's a god.
The score is the one thing that really matters, although most CEOs play the modesty card in public. A few don't give a damn whether others regard them as crass or not - they make sure everyone knows how valuable their board judges them to be.
But even the modest ones fall prey. I was with the CEO of an industry-leading Fortune 500 company once when he learned that one of his industry-leading competitors was compensated half again as much for the preceding year, although the competitor's company had turned in a much poorer performance. I saw this CEO's face crumple in pain when he found out. He was crushed. Everybody craves affection. With one's spouse, it's getting a kiss and a hug. With one's board of directors, it's getting a huge stock grant.
But even the modest ones fall prey. I was with the CEO of an industry-leading Fortune 500 company once when he learned that one of his industry-leading competitors was compensated half again as much for the preceding year, although the competitor's company had turned in a much poorer performance. I saw this CEO's face crumple in pain when he found out. He was crushed. Everybody craves affection. With one's spouse, it's getting a kiss and a hug. With one's board of directors, it's getting a huge stock grant.
That is often a problem though. Everyone wants to be well paid for a job poorly done, the problem here is that the person at the wheel crashes the ship and thinks they're still worth their entire compensation package, despite being paid more than someone that avoided those same shoals. Often, it seems like a lot of the upper echelon operating a company are more interested in raiding the company for their own benefits even if it means destroying said company or have destroyed a company.
I don't think that applies to Apple though. It's going to take me a bit to absorb this, I'll have to re-read the article in the morning. In the past, without some of this new information, it looked like Steve was just self-dealing, going outside of established procedure for setting compensation by backdating without the board's permission. Now it looks more complicated, partly in a good way, and maybe partly in a bad way too.
Why would you e-mail him this? First of all, Jobs will view this information getting out as a violation of his privacy. Second, he hasn't been reading this article along with us, so he'll likely not even know what you were referring to.
I don't get why this information being made available is a violation of his privacy if it was part of a deposition he gave to the SEC. It didn't reveal anything about his personal life, did it?
Was this from the time period that Jobs was receiving a $1/year salary? If so, then I can understand the stock options being pretty important.
Although I recall him receiving a Gulfstream jet as a gift from the board at one point. MacAddict ran a funny story about the jet increasing the range of the "reality distortion field" to a 4000 mile radius.
Anyway, it still blows my mind that someone could be the CEO of two growing and trend-setting companies -- Apple and Pixar -- simultaneously.
Then yours must be sandpapered to a high gloss.
Childish and yet highly amusing at the same time.
I don't know. What are you like?
Holy Geez. That's pretty hilarious. I missed this yesterday, so who do I send the bill to for blowing hot tea out my nose just now?
The idea, mentioned above, that CEOs use money as a way to keep score really sickens me. It is bad enough to need to "keep score" instead of being proud of the good job you have done? I think we can fairly say we know he did a good job with Apple. But to use money as the manner of showing success just slaps so many people in the face who work just as hard in their lives and earn money to survive. Sorry, nobody needs to be a multimillionaire to survive.
It really about the money? Then why take and keep the money? Why not take and donate every last cent to charity? Not about the money my arse. While I have no problem admitting Jobs has a good head for business I also have not problem admitting he is an absolute jerk too.
Why donate to charity when the government takes half of it away from you anyway?
Jobs is another example of the kind visionary genius, like Walt Disney or George Lucas, who can be a severe pain in the backside to the people that work for them, but those 3 were able to achieve truly wonderous things because of how hard they pushed their people. You don't achieve these sorts of things by being wimpy with people. You have to be extrodinarily meticulous, hard driving and never give up on your dream.
Jobs will leave this world with a legacy that will most likely be unmatched for a long time, but will also set the standard for future generations, particularly since most companies could give a crap about qaulity these days.
Okay, I'm stepping away from the soapbox. Thanks for letting me go on a bit, just had to get that off my chest…
It's well known that Disney is one of his heroes. Also, to clear up any misunderstanding, I consider Jobs to be a true one of a kind business genius. Someone who appears once in a generation. I have nothing but respect for his drive and leadership. When I suggested if anyone had ever done a psychological profile of him, it was to illuminate others what it takes to be a person in his position. It was not meant to disparage. Especially the comment about Aspergers, which is common trait to many in the computer and engineering fields. I know people who display Asperger's traits, and I've also known others with bizarre or unusual tics and behaviors. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
Why are those questions idiotic? It would be interesting to see how Steve Jobs stacks up against other CEOs. In case you didn't know, studying successful people in your field is a great way to improve your skills. I wouldn't be surprised if students at business schools are studying him, along with other successful CEOs.
Absolutely right. Success usually breeds imitators, and Jobs is a case study for serious business students and entrepreneurs.
I can't wait to see Steve back... I want Apple to be a BIG HAPPY FAMILY I always thought were! Maybe I am a bit naïve, but that's how I see the entire Mac Community! So, Let It Be
I haven't worked there, but you have to understand that perfection comes at a very high price. It's not all daffodils and paid vacations.
I find it hard to believe the board ever under-appreciated Jobs' obviously great work, they just didn't communicate well about anticipating when he'd want a performance reward.
I don't get why this information being made available is a violation of his privacy if it was part of a deposition he gave to the SEC. It didn't reveal anything about his personal life, did it?
Perhaps it isn't a violation of his privacy, since it involves questioning under oath for a publicly held company, but it does involve personal views of his which he may find embarrassing with public disclosure.
I haven't worked there, but you have to understand that perfection comes at a very high price. It's not all daffodils and paid vacations.
I wouldn't expect it to be like Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory with Oompa Loompas singing and dancing as they develop the next gen iPhone OS.
Personally, I'd love to work for a company like Apple if I didn't already work for such an awesome company.
It's really not about the money? Then why take and keep the money? Why not take and donate every last cent to charity? Not about the money my arse. While I have no problem admitting Jobs has a good head for business I also have not problem admitting he is an absolute jerk too.
The idea, mentioned above, that CEOs use money as a way to keep score really sickens me. It is bad enough to need to "keep score" instead of being proud of the good job you have done? I think we can fairly say we know he did a good job with Apple. But to use money as the manner of showing success just slaps so many people in the face who work just as hard in their lives and earn money to survive. Sorry, nobody needs to be a multimillionaire to survive.
Why shouldn't a person in his position be compensated for a job well done, and the reverse also applies. If a CEO is a monumental disaster for a company, why shouldn't he be fired?
Yes, people of all kinds work hard all of their lives to make a living. It's by luck, personal ambition or circumstance that keeps you or me from being in the same position. Don't envy him for what he has, take care of your own.