Apple co-founder Steve Jobs named Fortune 'CEO of the Decade'

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
For his role in turning Apple into a groundbreaking technology leader and the most valuable company in Silicon Valley, Fortune Magazine has named Steve Jobs its "CEO of the Decade."



The magazine's profile of Jobs noted that the 54-year-old overcame rejection from his own company in the 1980s, a Securities and Exchange Commission investigation scandal, two brushes with death and "his own often unpleasant demeanor" to earn the title. Given that Jobs has transformed American business, the publication has heralded the 2000s as "the decade of Steve."



"It's often noted that he's a showman, a born salesman, a magician who creates a famed reality-distortion field, a tyrannical perfectionist," the report said. "It's totally accurate, of course, and the descriptions contribute to his legend."



In the past decade, Jobs and Apple have entered and changed the industries of music, movies and cell phones. The company has also remained in the computer business, where it continues to innovate as it has done for decades. The magazine went on to compare Jobs to some of the greatest innovators in business history.



"Remaking any one business is a career-defining achievement; four is unheard-of," the report said. "Think about that for a moment. Henry Ford altered the course of the nascent auto industry. PanAm's Juan Trippe invented the global airline. Conrad Hilton internationalized American hospitality.



"In all instances, and many more like them, these entrepreneurs turned captains of industry defined a single market that had previously not been dominated by anyone. The industries that Jobs has turned topsy turvy already existed when he focused on them."



Since 2000, when Apple was worth about $5 billion, the company has delivered record quarter after record quarter. Today, Apple is worth about $170 billion, making it slightly more valuable than competitor Google.



Thanks to its record-setting, Apple is now awash in cash with $31.1 billion in cash in investments. That total, in August, was the largest net-cash sum of any technology company, due to the company's debt-free position.



Jobs' decade, Fortune noted, actually began in 1997, when he returned to the company he helped to create. Under his watch, the company debuted the iMac, its modern all-in-one desktop computer, and the iPod, which became the standard-bearer for the portable media market.



The report also notes Jobs' well-known micromanagement practices and hands-on approach, noting that he would criticize the text in ad copy. Secrecy and the Apple message are also important. Jobs reportedly rehearses every line he and others say about his company in public. That tactic is key, as Apple is estimated to have received some $400 million in free publicity by sparingly making any announcements about the iPhone before it went on sale.



The article suggests that Apple's inevitable future after Jobs will be strong, because he has recruited people who have been "trained to think like Steve." But with the CEO's return to the company this summer, there is no indication that Jobs intends to leave Apple anytime soon.



"After creating more than $150 billion in shareholder wealth, transforming movies, telecom, music, and computing (and profoundly influencing the worlds of retail and design), what should Steve Jobs do next? Given his penchant for secrecy and surprise and his proven brilliance, it's a fair bet that he'll let us know when he's good and ready."
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 183
    Bigger than henry ford

    Bigger than jesus
  • Reply 2 of 183
    postulantpostulant Posts: 1,272member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post




    Since 2000, when Apple was worth about $5 billion, the company has delivered record quarter after record quarter. Today, Apple is worth about $170 billion, making it slightly more valuable than competitor Google.



    Thanks to its record-setting, Apple is now awash in cash with $31.1 billion in cash in investments. That total, in August, was the largest net-cash sum of any technology company, due to the company's debt-free position.



    Say no more!
  • Reply 3 of 183
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    I wonder what impact this will have on the stock price.



    Quote:
    Originally Posted by monstrosity View Post


    Bigger than henry ford

    Bigger than jesus



    Are we talking egos?
  • Reply 4 of 183
    floccusfloccus Posts: 138member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Conrad Hilton internationalized American hospitality.



    His great-granddaughters seems to be doing their share to help too



    And congrats Mr. Jobs.
  • Reply 5 of 183
    I've never liked Jobs, even when I was an Apple fan. But I do respect the fact that he has definitely changed the computer arena. But I think too many people place too much on this one man. Remember, he runs a company and surrounds himself with plenty of competent employees.



    I think the biggest thing that he can teach us though is: Debt Free. Apple has wads of cash on hand. Given, this is due to expansive profit margins + cult following. But many other companies could look at this and try to make better products and services instead of just trying to get out mass numbers of products. (Apple could use this too... their products though popular, are no better than any equivalent PC hardware in terms of reliability or construction.)



    Now, if Apple could show companies how to bring jobs back to the US... then I'll be happier with Jobs himself. Till then, forget it, mainly because I know they can afford to do so.
  • Reply 6 of 183
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by monstrosity View Post


    Bigger than jesus



    But not bigger than John Lennon and The Beatles or ........









    The YANKEEEEEEEEEEESSSS!!!!!!!
  • Reply 7 of 183
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Jobs and Apple have entered and changed the industries of music, movies and cell phones.



    I don't think Apple has changed the movie industry at all.



    iPod and iTunes definitely changed the music industry. iPhone changed mobile phones too. No way that Apple TV and iTunes movie store are particularly influential.
  • Reply 8 of 183
    teckstudteckstud Posts: 6,476member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by retroneo View Post


    I don't think Apple has changed the movie industry at all.



    iPod and iTunes definitely changed the music industry. iPhone changed mobile phones too. No way that Apple TV and iTunes movie store are particularly influential.



    Jobs and Pixar did -but that's a different chapter.
  • Reply 9 of 183
    postulantpostulant Posts: 1,272member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by retroneo View Post


    I don't think Apple has changed the movie industry at all.



    iPod and iTunes definitely changed the music industry. iPhone changed mobile phones too. No way that Apple TV and iTunes movie store are particularly influential.



    Maybe it's a reference to Pixar.



    edit:What Tech said.
  • Reply 10 of 183
    quadra 610quadra 610 Posts: 6,757member
    Good. He deserves it.



    Thank you for everything, Steve.



    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzWft8ZtTTY
  • Reply 11 of 183
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by camroidv27 View Post


    I think too many people place too much on this one man. Remember, he runs a company and surrounds himself with plenty of competent employees.



    There were plenty of decent employees the last time I worked for another company, but that didn't stop them releasing (if they ever got round to releasing) crappy products.

    Morons at the top thought they knew better than those with the skills.



    Microsoft's another prime example, the employees cant ALL be stupid, or can they?!
  • Reply 12 of 183
    solipsismsolipsism Posts: 25,726member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by camroidv27 View Post


    I've never liked Jobs, even when I was an Apple fan. But I do respect the fact that he has definitely changed the computer arena. But I think too many people place too much on this one man. Remember, he runs a company and surrounds himself with plenty of competent employees.



    I would agree with that statement, but with Jobs we have so many business-related success stories that it?s hard to think that it could have happened with just anyone running the roost with the same employees. He saw the potential for what Woz had. Even NeXT turned out to be a success story in the end. I think he?s an egotistical prick, but he could teach B.T. Barnum a thing or two about showmanship and Nostradamus a thing or two about making predictions.





    Quote:
    Originally Posted by retroneo View Post


    I don't think Apple has changed the movie industry at all.



    iPod and iTunes definitely changed the music industry. iPhone changed mobile phones too. No way that Apple TV and iTunes movie store are particularly influential.



    There was no legal internet-based movie sales before the iTS, that I can recall. Now we have multiple sources. You are also forgetting Pixar, which Jobs bought from Lucas for a $10M and sold to Disney for $2.xB a decade later.
  • Reply 13 of 183
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Under his watch, the company debuted the iMac, its first all-in-one computer, and the iPod, which became the standard-bearer for the portable media market.



    "First all-in-one-computer" -- you mean other than the original Mac? Or the Mac Plus? Or the Mac Classic? Or the SE? Or the Color Classic? Or the Performa/LC 500-series? Or the Power Mac/Performa 5000 Series? Or the G3 All-in-one? Or their entire laptop line? Yeah, other than those non-entities, I guess you could say the iMac was the first all-in-one computer.
  • Reply 14 of 183
    tundraboytundraboy Posts: 1,884member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by AppleInsider View Post


    Jobs' decade, Fortune noted, actually began in 1997, when he returned to the company he helped to create. Under his watch, the company debuted the iMac, its first all-in-one computer



    Very bad reporting by Fortune. Apple did make its first all-in-one under Jobs. In 1984 with the original Mac!
  • Reply 15 of 183
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by retroneo View Post


    I don't think Apple has changed the movie industry at all.



    iPod and iTunes definitely changed the music industry. iPhone changed mobile phones too. No way that Apple TV and iTunes movie store are particularly influential.



    Well the obvious, already stated animation king Pixar. But least we never forget Final Cut and all it's accessory apps. It was the piece that broke indie's into the scene and has since become a staple in movie production. Before Final Cut you had to use mechanical terms and film and it pretty much meant the smaller guys never we able to produce anything near Cinema quality. Today, iMovie does what Final Cut did and more. Apple has and is changing the media designers and formats.



    Congratulations Mr. Jobs. You have sincerely deserved that title.
  • Reply 16 of 183
    slapppyslapppy Posts: 331member
    Congratulations to Mr. Jobs.
  • Reply 17 of 183
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Quadra 610 View Post


    Good. He deserves it.



    Thank you for everything, Steve.



    Really, get a grip.... You sound like you're thanking a friend, ugh there's a psych class based on this I bet.
  • Reply 18 of 183
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by steviet02 View Post


    Really, get a grip.... You sound like you're thanking a friend, ugh there's a psych class based on this I bet.



    I agree, I don't really understand the near hero-worship of Jobs, but I think Fortune are spot on here. It's hard to think of another CEO who has played such a pivotal role in turning a company that was becoming a financial disaster into a money making powerhouse, and for all the cool products, it's making money that a CEO is there to do.
  • Reply 19 of 183
    anonymouseanonymouse Posts: 6,857member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by camroidv27 View Post


    I've never liked Jobs, even when I was an Apple fan. But I do respect the fact that he has definitely changed the computer arena. But I think too many people place too much on this one man. Remember, he runs a company and surrounds himself with plenty of competent employees.



    Well, not knowing him, I don't like or dislike him, but, I think he deserves credit for surrounding himself with "competent" employees, in addition to his apparent force of character that's allowed him to achieve what he has. It actually takes quite a bit of intelligence and discernment to surround yourself with competent people.
  • Reply 20 of 183
    mcarlingmcarling Posts: 1,106member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by monstrosity View Post


    Bigger than jesus



    Bigger than a myth?

    Even Bill Gates is bigger than Jesus.



    More important, in a year or two, Apple's market cap will almost certainly be larger than that of Microsoft. Apple won't just be the biggest company in Silicon Valley. Apple will soon be the biggest company in the world.
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