Why did Apple hire Adobe CTO Kevin Lynch?

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  • Reply 121 of 202
    dmarcootdmarcoot Posts: 191member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by macxpress View Post


     


    And silly comments like these are why Apple shouldn't care about its stock price. It should just be doing what it needs to do and not what stupid stockholders think is best for the company when they don't know their ass from a hole in the ground when it comes to running a company, especially one like Apple. Ignore shareholders!!!



    Really? Did I mention share price?  



    You probably thought Browett was a good choice too.  If you think Cooks ability to pick Apples' VP leadership for the next decade is not questionable than the only one here that should be ignored is you. 

     


    I have skin in the game, I want Apple to do great. And this guy is not a great choice.

     

  • Reply 122 of 202
    clemynxclemynx Posts: 1,552member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by dreyfus2 View Post


     


    Um, if 'blackmailing people to update, just to get bug fixes for stuff that has been not working since the day it was released' is what you mean by 'brutal efficiency', then yes. There is nothing Apple can learn from Adobe, at least nothing that would make Apple better.



     


    I think he was refering to the Adobe Suite and particularly the much loved and very good Photoshop, which gets updated every year with great new stuff evert year.

  • Reply 123 of 202
    flaneurflaneur Posts: 4,526member
    jetlaw wrote: »
    Maybe it's as simple as Apple trying to keep their friends close and their enemies closer.

    That's the phrase I was looking for. A possibility. Almost no one is considering here that there may be some strategy behind this. Instead dismay prevails.
  • Reply 124 of 202
    msimpsonmsimpson Posts: 452member


    He was hired to bring a skeuomorphic Flash player to iOS.  End of Story.

  • Reply 125 of 202
    zoetmbzoetmb Posts: 2,654member


    While I agree with the concern over hardware guy vs. software guy, a senior exec doesn't get all that involved in the nitty gritty - they're mainly hired for their overall management skills:  managing budgets, teams, resources, etc.     Look at most CEOs:   they tend to jump around industries that have very little to do with each other.   Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn't.   


     


    In addition, when working for any specific company, you have to support the company's product strategy whether you agree with it or not.    So the fact that he worked on Flash doesn't mean all that much - he might have actually agreed that Flash wasn't a good way to go.


     


    I'm been consulting for a tech company for years and I disagree with almost everything they do.    That doesn't mean that I wouldn't be a valuable addition to another company.   Besides, everyone has been concentrating on what Adobe does badly.    But Photoshop was and remains a groundbreaking application that the majority of high-end professional photographers still use.    I've never been a fan of Illustrator, but most pro graphic designers are.    InDesign is still used by many print and magazine publishers although I personally preferred the old Pagemaker.     PremierePro is considered to be a worthy competitor to other video editing software (although  I don't personally use it).   You might consider their products to be too expensive, but other than that, Adobe has done a pretty good job IMO, aside from some delays in supporting new versions of the Mac OS.     People complain that Apple seems to drop interest in software after it matures, but Adobe releases updates on a pretty regular schedule - so regular that many complain about paying for those upgrades.    


     


    And it's been reported today that Adobe has beaten estimates, largely due to their new subscription program, which really surprises me, but if it works, it works. 

  • Reply 126 of 202
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member


    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post

    LOL. That makes no sense at all.....


     


    It's quite simple. They can't work for two companies at once. Therefore THEY work for THEM and not for Apple. 





    Originally Posted by msimpson View Post

    He was hired to bring a skeuomorphic Flash player to iOS.  End of Story.


     


    image

  • Reply 127 of 202
    flaneurflaneur Posts: 4,526member
    dmarcoot wrote: »
    Really? Did I mention share price?  


    You probably thought <span style="line-height:normal;">Browett was a good choice too.  If you think Cooks ability to pick Apples' VP leadership for the next decade is not questionable than the only one here that should be ignored is you. </span>


     
    <span style="line-height:normal;">I have skin in the game, I want Apple to do great. And this guy is not a great choice.</span>


     

    We all have skin in the game. Apple's in an epic struggle to see its view of consumer technology prevail. If they lose, it's the 80s and 90s all over again, only this time the mediocrity will be disguised with Gangnam-style glitz.

    If we let that happen, some of the responsibility will lie with the negative meme machine, which you are now participating in. You have no inside knowledge at all, only outside media fluff. So you too are on the list of people who are talking negative shit here about Apple's management without knowing anything.
  • Reply 128 of 202
    dysamoriadysamoria Posts: 3,430member
    dreyfus2 wrote: »
    Um, if 'blackmailing people to update, just to get bug fixes for stuff that has been not working since the day it was released' is what you mean by 'brutal efficiency', then yes. There is nothing Apple can learn from Adobe, at least nothing that would make Apple better.

    Exactly. I used to love Adobe but I hate them now. The product is horribly bloated and slow. Features are added which are wholly irrelevant to the core product and are unwanted. Tons of unwanted junk gets installed without permission and only some can be removed. It's a clusterf##% of Microsoft Windows registry style proportions (and does the most damage there).

    If this guy is responsible for Adobe bloating up its products over the last several CS versions, Apple is in trouble.
  • Reply 129 of 202
    clemynxclemynx Posts: 1,552member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Gazoobee View Post

    There is more difference (relatively speaking) between Pages 4.2 and Pages 4.3 than there is between CS3 and CS5..  


    Come on...

  • Reply 130 of 202

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post





    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post

    LOL. That makes no sense at all.....


     


    It's quite simple. They can't work for two companies at once. Therefore THEY work for THEM and not for Apple. 



    I see. And your claim is that there is no more THEY there, because THEM took the one black guy, five Indian guys and the three women that Apple could have picked.....


     


    Got it.image

  • Reply 131 of 202

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Flaneur View Post



    By the way, I would say it's the perception of Apple's incompetence that's tanking the stock as much or more than any actual fumbling. If you deny that, I would understand, because right now you're part of that perception.


    You're certainly welcome to your blind devotion. That is your wont.


     


    I happen to see issues from a somewhat more balanced perspective (although one that is heavily titled in favor of all things Apple, as any reasonable assessment of my posting history will show).


     


    My views are based on reasonable surmise, none of which you've offered thus far, except for non sequiturs like "you don't work there, so you couldn't know". That is pretty much the equivalent of "you can't lay an egg, so don't criticize the omelette."

  • Reply 132 of 202
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by dmarcoot View Post


    Really? Did I mention share price?  



    You probably thought Browett was a good choice too.  If you think Cooks ability to pick Apples' VP leadership for the next decade is not questionable than the only one here that should be ignored is you. 

     


    I have skin in the game, I want Apple to do great. And this guy is not a great choice.

     



    This guy isn't working for Cook.  How do we know Cook Picked him?

  • Reply 133 of 202
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member


    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post

    I see. And your claim is that there is no more THEY there, because THEM took the one black guy, five Indian guys and the three women that Apple could have picked.....


     


    Got it.image



     


    Is your claim that Apple doesn't hire non-white males? Or just that I'm claiming that? Because both are ludicrous.


     


    I don't give a flying frick who or "what" you are; if you can't do the job, you shouldn't be in the position. The executive team at Apple is what it is because those are the people at that company best suited for their respective jobs. In no way is that a statement against anyone else against the company under any condition, relevant to job or no.

  • Reply 134 of 202

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


    Is your claim that Apple doesn't hire non-white males? Or just that I'm claiming that? 



    Don't be silly. Of course not.


     


    I am not dumb enough to claim something like that, and I assume that neither are you.

  • Reply 135 of 202
    charlitunacharlituna Posts: 7,217member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by dreyfus2 View Post


     Forstall (who, IMHO, was right not to apologize for Maps, was Apple's best presenter after Jobs, and did a hell of a Job managing iOS) 



     


    So you find it acceptable that Forstall allowed the release of software with faulty firmware that destroyed wifi, Bluetooth and/or sound functions on numerous phones, cost folks hundreds in cell data overages while reporting the devices were on wifi correctly etc. but hey he gave us nifty moving shadows on the volume knobs. Thats so much better than bug free software 

  • Reply 136 of 202
    ankleskaterankleskater Posts: 1,287member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by anantksundaram View Post


    You're certainly welcome to your blind devotion. That is your wont.


     


    I happen to see issues from a somewhat more balanced perspective (although one that is heavily titled in favor of all things Apple, as any reasonable assessment of my posting history will show).


     


    My views are based on reasonable surmise, none of which you've offered thus far, except for non sequiturs like "you don't work there, so you couldn't know". That is pretty much the equivalent of "you can't lay an egg, so don't criticize the omelette."



    Not only has he offered such feeble arguments. He also refutes or doesn't understand that regardless of what problems that might have occurred in Taiwan, China or the North Pole, the buck stops with Apple because they are the ones who announced the product and promised a shipping date. He is either really dense or pretending to be so.

  • Reply 137 of 202
    ankleskaterankleskater Posts: 1,287member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


     


    Is your claim that Apple doesn't hire non-white males? Or just that I'm claiming that? Because both are ludicrous.


     


    I don't give a flying frick who or "what" you are; if you can't do the job, you shouldn't be in the position. The executive team at Apple is what it is because those are the people at that company best suited for their respective jobs. In no way is that a statement against anyone else against the company under any condition, relevant to job or no.





    It's not about his claim or mine, or yours. It's about an executive team that is not consistent with the makeup of its own work force.

  • Reply 138 of 202

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by ankleskater View Post




    Quote:

    Originally Posted by Tallest Skil View Post


     


    Is your claim that Apple doesn't hire non-white males? Or just that I'm claiming that? Because both are ludicrous.


     


    I don't give a flying frick who or "what" you are; if you can't do the job, you shouldn't be in the position. The executive team at Apple is what it is because those are the people at that company best suited for their respective jobs. In no way is that a statement against anyone else against the company under any condition, relevant to job or no.





    It's not about his claim or mine, or yours. It's about an executive team that is not consistent with the makeup of its own work force.



    Off-topic: It may or may not be fair -- in fact, it will be mostly unfair -- but I predict that this issue will come to haunt Apple soon.

  • Reply 139 of 202
    rogifanrogifan Posts: 10,669member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by charlituna View Post


     


    So you find it acceptable that Forstall allowed the release of software with faulty firmware that destroyed wifi, Bluetooth and/or sound functions on numerous phones, cost folks hundreds in cell data overages while reporting the devices were on wifi correctly etc. but hey he gave us nifty moving shadows on the volume knobs. Thats so much better than bug free software 



    Buthe sounded like Jobs on stage. Guess that's all that matters.

  • Reply 140 of 202
    ankleskaterankleskater Posts: 1,287member

    Quote:

    Originally Posted by TBell View Post


     


    First, Eddie Cue is Cuban. I think that qualifies as a minority.



    Good point. I forgot about that.


     


    Quote:


    Originally Posted by TBell View Post


     


    Second, people should be hired based strictly on talent. Is it not possible that more men are interested and thereby qualified in engineering?


     



    It is not only possible but also true. But how is it that other companies have managed to field more visible minorities and women on their executive teams? Are they suggesting Google, IBM and others have promoted/hired unqualified people?


     


    Furthermore, do you not appreciate the vicious cycle in play here? Don't you think more girls may become more interested in engineering if they see more women in leadership ranks in engineering? Again, it is about making a socially responsible choice when all other criteria are equal. And I don't for a second believe that Apple singularly fails to find qualified women. For example, no woman would be a better choice than Browett? Getting back on topic, with all the hate dumped on Lynch here, clearly his qualifications must be so mediocre that they can be equaled or surpassed by many women?


     


    Quote:


    Originally Posted by TBell View Post


     


    A hard cold fact is there aren't a lot of people in the US qualified in the fields of engineering and the ones that are are generally men.



    A hard cold fact is that many technology companies have women on their executive teams, and a few have women leading them. In fact, 72% of Fortune 500 companies boast women as their Chief-Something-or-Another. Apple, with its constant need for talent, has failed where 360 companies have succeeded, and have somehow managed to fail to hire a woman as CxO or SVP in its entire history? Doesn't that strike you as an issue that deserves a question or two?


     


    Quote:


    Originally Posted by TBell View Post


     


    Apple pointed out it hires based on talent, and subsequently a large portion of its workforce is Asian.


     



     


    And yet, none of them has ever been promoted to the executive suite? Apple's top team fails to reflect not only the diversity of the technology workforce in general but in fact its own staff. If you don't think that deserves a question or two, then your own social values need to be pondered. BTW, I am sure you realize that "subsequently" is misused here - a seriously slip of the keyboard, but I forgive you. :)


     


    Anyone sensible would look at Apple's situation and observe that there is a de facto glass ceiling there. It is irrefutable.

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