[img]http://blogs-images.forbes.com/joselambiet/files/2010/09/steve-jobs_john_sculley.jpg[/img]
[quote]Apple should use its enormous cash reserves to make some big-name acquisitions, the company's former boss John Sculley has said.
He said it could shift the "whole landscape of e-commerce" if it bought, for example, eBay.
He said it should ignore the wishes of activist investor Carl Icahn, who wants the company to buy back stock.
"Apple's about building great products, building and shaping markets," Mr Sculley said.[/quote]
[quote]Mr Sculley was the chief executive of Apple between 1983 and 1993.
During his tenure, he famously engineered the "forcing out" of Steve Jobs from the company - a decision he later said was due to his own inexperience in appreciating Mr Jobs' vision for future products.[/quote]
[quote]Mr Sculley also offered warm words for the soon-to-be-departing Microsoft boss, Steve Ballmer.
"Here's a man who has spent 33 years at Microsoft, loves the company," he said. "He really did not get enough credit for what he did accomplish.
"I can't name a CEO who didn't make some mistakes in the hi-tech industry.
"I think Ballmer has a lot he ought to be proud of. So he didn't get everything right - not many people do."[/quote]
[url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24489156]**SOURCE**[/url]
I would like to remind you that Sculley was one of the people instrumental in running Apple into the ground.
conmpanies?
Yes buy all the conmpanies!
Yes, keep buying companies Apple, maybe you'll get ripped apart by the US Government for trying to become a monopoly.
[QUOTE=zombini;42491967]Yes, keep buying companies Apple, maybe you'll get ripped apart by the US Government for trying to become a monopoly.[/QUOTE]
I don't think he means create a monopoly for yourself.
Nah, they should make the iRocket powered by OS Mavericks
A company that wants to buy another company in this day and age generally has to pay a massive premium (especially for major corporations) which can be up to double the price per share of the company they wish to acquire. It would be smarter to let their own shareholders diversify their own holdings through distributing excess cash as a special dividend.
Apple did nothing between 1983 and 1993.
John Sculley was responsible for forcing someone out of a company they founded in their garage with £0.
As far as I'm concerned, that's IMO one of the worst, most heartless and evil things a person can do to another.
He's literally Satan incarnate.
And I honestly have no idea why he's got an opinion on this, or why anyone cares.
[QUOTE=SCopE5000;42493021]Apple did nothing between 1983 and 1993.
John Sculley was responsible for forcing someone out of a company they founded in their garage with £0.
As far as I'm concerned, that's IMO one of the worst, most heartless and evil things a person can do to another.
He's literally Satan incarnate.
And I honestly have no idea why he's got an opinion on this, or why anyone cares.[/QUOTE]
It's debatable that he made the right call in booting Steve at that point. It probably wasn't the right call to make, but it is very easy to see where Sculley was coming from.
[quote]Apple did nothing between 1983 and 1993.[/quote]
It's also probably important to remember that Apple was very profitable under Sculley as well, although whether that's coincidence in terms of the timing of the boom or not is up for debate.
There's nothing worse than people whining about personal stuff like this in business, as soon as you get involved in a billion dollar company, let alone being at the head of it, everyone is going to criticise your every move, because you're responsible for the jobs of thousands. People's feelings go out the window, and you do what you have to do to keep the company profitable, the investors happy, and its thousands of employees in a job.
He raises a good point about acquisition of start-ups, you'd just have to pick the right thing. For example, the acquisition of Instagram by Facebook was a smart move, you can't go on Facebook these days without someone posting some shitty instagram picture of themselves, the services tie in together perfectly and it was a great buy. Apple would just need to find a start-up that actually benefits them, and acquire/invest based upon future growth rather than just for the hell of it.
[QUOTE=Tony;42493115]It's debatable that he made the right call in booting Steve at that point. It probably wasn't the right call to make, but it is very easy to see where Sculley was coming from.
It's also probably important to remember that Apple was very profitable under Sculley as well, although whether that's coincidence in terms of the timing of the boom or not is up for debate.
There's nothing worse than people whining about personal stuff like this in business, as soon as you get involved in a billion dollar company, let alone being at the head of it, everyone is going to criticise your every move, because you're responsible for the jobs of thousands. People's feelings go out the window, and you do what you have to do to keep the company profitable, the investors happy, and its thousands of employees in a job.
He raises a good point about acquisition of start-ups, you'd just have to pick the right thing. For example, the acquisition of Instagram by Facebook was a smart move, you can't go on Facebook these days without someone posting some shitty instagram picture of themselves, the services tie in together perfectly and it was a great buy. Apple would just need to find a start-up that actually benefits them, and acquire/invest based upon future growth rather than just for the hell of it.[/QUOTE]
The corporate machine don't really give a shit about the jobs of thousands - the jobs of thousands merely makes their earnings possible, but if there was another way that was cheaper than staff, it'd be employed in a split second.
As for the CEO ousting, it was a decision that reflects the worst of what can happen in the corporate world. Here we had literally one of the best creatives the world has ever seen, being stripped of his ability to contribute genuine quality to the world, for the sake of 'money in pockets'. It's pure greed, there's no two ways about it - and it severely inhibits progress.
[QUOTE=SCopE5000;42494052]The corporate machine don't really give a shit about the jobs of thousands - the jobs of thousands merely makes their earnings possible, but if there was another way that was cheaper than staff, it'd be employed in a split second.
As for the CEO ousting, it was a decision that reflects the worst of what can happen in the corporate world. Here we had literally one of the best creatives the world has ever seen, being stripped of his ability to contribute genuine quality to the world, for the sake of 'money in pockets'. It's pure greed, there's no two ways about it - and it severely inhibits progress.[/QUOTE]
Agreed there for the most part - nobody cares about the loss of jobs on a personal level, but if the jobs were lost the economy would suffer.
The decision to axe Jobs was because the company was bleeding money. Yeah he was a great creative thinker, but it all comes down to money. The company was sinking with less than 3 months cash in the bank at one point and they were seriously considering selling the company. They could either bet on the guy who was losing them all the money in the first place to turn it around, or they could bring someone new in to try shake it up.
I never understand why people say shit like it was for "money in pockets" and "greed" - of course it was done for money in pockets, companies need money to exist and continue operating. Apple may well not exist in its current form today if Jobs didn't go at that time. Gil Amelio (not a direct replacement for Jobs mind you) did a great job of releasing a lot of pressure on Apple as well, and when Jobs eventually came in to replace him, Jobs came into a fiscal situation much better than the one he had left. Gil pretty much set out the plan surrounding the iMac which Steve followed.
Sculley is dead on the money with purchasing or at least investing in some smaller startups, just need to find one that would be good.
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