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Editorial - Apple Doesn't Need a Public Succession Plan
by , 3:05 PM EDT, October 7th, 2008
Last week's scare, an unverified rumor that Steve Jobs had suffered a heart attack sent Apple stock plummeting, expert investment analysts scolding, and some writers believing that Apple needs a public succession plan to avoid confusion and concerns about these kinds of incidents. That's nonsense.
First of all, Apple does have a succession plan. It's required for a company of Apple's size, and Apple would be negligent in its responsibilities not to have one. The Apple board of directors has it.
Making such a succession plan public, however, to allay the concerns of pundits and skittish investors is not really necessary. That's because, given the events that have preceded, it's clear that every time Steve Jobs gets the flu, reporters will be working their way down the list, waking up, say, Tim Cook at 3 AM. It would lead to serious invasions of privacy without any real benefit.
Second, Apple may, from time to time, change that succession plan for good reasons, depending on the availability and willingness of senior Apple executives, their career plans, etc. Apple doesn't need to be announcing those changes publicly every time it changes and responding to endless questioning of the whys and wherefores of those changes.
Finally, the public disclosure of such a plan would diminish Mr. Jobs ability to lead the company because there would be endless, squabbling questions for the named successor.
My own guess is that, given Mr. Jobs' rock star status, it's unlikely that the structure of a post-Jobs Apple would be the same as now. The new CEO would not necessarily be on the stage for Apple events and keynotes, rather, behind the scenes, running the company. Other, more flamboyant personalities, would take center stage for public events. It's hard to prove that this structure, created out of necessity, would hinder Apple in the long run, and most other companies operate that way.
The idea that Mr. Job's successor would fulfill every role he does right now is silly.
Anyway, it's all very premature. Mr. Jobs did have major surgery for a rare form of Pancreatic cancer -- and left Tim Cook in charge of the company during that recovery. He has been looking thin, likely due to dietary preferences and other factors, but all reliable reports place him in good health.
Mr. Jobs is only 53. One of our presidential candidates, hoping to be the most powerful man in the free world, just turned 73. I expect Mr. Jobs to remain at Apple for as long as it pleases him, many more years and to outlive John McCain.
As for a public succession plan, that seems to be more about obsession by the media than a prudent executive management practice.
John Martellaro is the afternoon editor of The Mac Observer and a freelance writer. He is a former U.S. Air Force officer and has worked for NASA, White Sands Missile Range, Lockheed Martin Astronautics, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Apple Computer. During his nearly five years at Apple, he worked as a Senior Marketing Manager for Science and Technology, Federal Account Executive, and High Performance Computing Manager. His interests, in addition to all things Apple, include alpine skiing, science fiction, astronomy and Perl. John lives in Denver, Colorado.
Observer Comments
Tue Oct 07, 2008 5:00 pm Subject: It is more than access to doctors
QuoteGuest wrote:
Steve Jobs will have access or ability to get the best doctors in the world. Most doctors will drop pretty much drop on whim if someone calls him or her for their services.
Accidents happen. In Woz's "reflection" story a guest mentioned the airplane crash, that could have been fatal.
Wed Oct 08, 2008 12:47 am Subject: The whole thing has cost many of us lots of money!
The whole thing about Jobs health has cost many of us lots of money because the STUPID STOCK ANAL-ISTS drop there stock at an instant on any rumor they hear about, without finding out any facts. Making up stupid theories about his health as if they spoke with him personally. If Apple the company has not said anything, it should be taken that Mr. Jobs is in good health. The Stock is way under valued compared to the performance of the company, a lot of it has had to do with all the stupidity that ANAL-ISTS have wrote on the web falsely dropping the value of Apple's stock. 
QuoteGuest wrote:
jobs is a moron.
skinny idiot because he's not eating nutritional food. why? cause he's a moron.
seriously, cause vegans know better than human evolution?
k
Quite possibly one of the most ignorant statements I've read. I've been a vegetarian for 14 years now. I'm healthier, stronger, and fitter than nearly anyone I know. You want to eat meat, fine. That's your (and my wife's) choice. But don't go around paving the world with your ignorance. Read a little bit about it first. You may be surprised how many Vegetarians and Vegans there are out there.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegitarian
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_vegetarians
QuoteFirst of all, Apple does have a succession plan. It's required for a company of Apple's size, and Apple would be negligent in its responsibilities not to have one. The Apple board of directors has it.
I did not know it was a corporate requirement. Now that it is clear that someone has considered this and made plans it?s time to drop it. Thanks for the info.
Wed Oct 08, 2008 9:21 am Subject: RE: The whole thing has cost many of us lots of money!
QuoteGuest wrote:
The whole thing about Jobs health has cost many of us lots of money because the STUPID STOCK ANAL-ISTS drop there stock at an instant on any rumor they hear about, without finding out any facts.
You've lost money only if you sold when it was lower than you bought! Don't sell! Buy now! Once the stock rebounds to where it was previously you will double your money in less than a year! Geez.
Quotegeoduck wrote:QuoteGuest wrote:
jobs is a moron.
skinny idiot because he's not eating nutritional food. why? cause he's a moron.
seriously, cause vegans know better than human evolution?
k
Quite possibly one of the most ignorant statements I've read. I've been a vegetarian for 14 years now. I'm healthier, stronger, and fitter than nearly anyone I know. You want to eat meat, fine. That's your (and my wife's) choice. But don't go around paving the world with your ignorance. Read a little bit about it first. You may be surprised how many Vegetarians and Vegans there are out there.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegitarian
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_vegetarians
QuoteFirst of all, Apple does have a succession plan. It's required for a company of Apple's size, and Apple would be negligent in its responsibilities not to have one. The Apple board of directors has it.
I did not know it was a corporate requirement. Now that it is clear that someone has considered this and made plans it?s time to drop it. Thanks for the info.
You know, I've never meet a healthy vegan that has told me they are a vegan. Yea, they were skinny, but they weren't healthy. Always sick, physically weak, almost no stamina and really annoying. Fact is you need both the fat and protein found in meat, maybe not as much as I get (I do love steak) but you still need it a little bit.
Quotedaemon wrote:Quotegeoduck wrote:QuoteGuest wrote:
jobs is a moron.
skinny idiot because he's not eating nutritional food. why? cause he's a moron.
seriously, cause vegans know better than human evolution?
k
Quite possibly one of the most ignorant statements I've read. I've been a vegetarian for 14 years now. I'm healthier, stronger, and fitter than nearly anyone I know. You want to eat meat, fine. That's your (and my wife's) choice. But don't go around paving the world with your ignorance. Read a little bit about it first. You may be surprised how many Vegetarians and Vegans there are out there.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegitarian
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_vegetarians
QuoteFirst of all, Apple does have a succession plan. It's required for a company of Apple's size, and Apple would be negligent in its responsibilities not to have one. The Apple board of directors has it.
I did not know it was a corporate requirement. Now that it is clear that someone has considered this and made plans it?s time to drop it. Thanks for the info.
You know, I've never meet a healthy vegan that has told me they are a vegan. Yea, they were skinny, but they weren't healthy. Always sick, physically weak, almost no stamina and really annoying. Fact is you need both the fat and protein found in meat, maybe not as much as I get (I do love steak) but you still need it a little bit.
When you look at someone who is real skinny and you think they look unhealthy it's basic physiopsychology because we've evolved to be able to recognize healthy reproductive partners. So apparently, vegans want to claim that our eyes have deceived us for centuries... nice try. We are not attracted to the skinny vegan look because it's not natural and not healthy.
QuoteGuest wrote:
When you look at someone who is real skinny and you think they look unhealthy it's basic physiopsychology because we've evolved to be able to recognize healthy reproductive partners. So apparently, vegans want to claim that our eyes have deceived us for centuries... nice try. We are not attracted to the skinny vegan look because it's not natural and not healthy.
I don't know if I agree with the postulate. What is considered 'healthy' and 'beautiful' and 'normal' is more the result of socialization and the society you grew up in than any evolutionary memory. Western models and actresses are often emaciated yet are held up as the ideal of beauty. Most Americans and Europeans say they are healthy yet the AMA and other groups talk about the obesity epidemic. Look at many renaissance paintings and the people look very heavy. In Japan most of the people are, to western eyes, very thin, yet they have some of the longest lifespans.
To get back to eating preferences, look at the list from my earlier post. You'll see a lot of people that aren't overly thin or in poor health. Health, like beauty, is often in the eye of the beholder. Me? I'm 6'1" 215lb. I work out for an hour every night; 30 minutes on the treadmill and 30 minutes with 20# hand weights. Most people I've met over the last 14 years have been very surprised to find that I'm Vegetarian. It doesn't fit what they expect a Vegetarian to look like.
Jobs (remember Jobs? This all started with a discussion of the health of Steve Jobs,) is thin, thinner than he used to be. He's not morbidly thin.
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