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Steve Jobs Apple

Article Overview: He might have been just 21 years old when he founded the company, but under Steve Jobs, Apple grew to become a leader and an innovator in the global computer, software, and electronics industry. In fact, the company is ranked number 159 on the Fortune 500 annual ranking of America’s largest corporations for 2006, with over $13.9 billion in revenues and almost 20,000 employees. Today, Jobs continues to serve as the company’s Chief Executive Officer.

Steve Jobs Apple

He might have been just 21 years old when he founded the company, but under Steve Jobs, Apple grew to become a leader and an innovator in the global computer, software, and electronics industry. In fact, the company is ranked number 159 on the Fortune 500 annual ranking of America’s largest corporations for 2006, with over $13.9 billion in revenues and almost 20,000 employees. Today, Jobs continues to serve as the company’s Chief Executive Officer.

Jobs’ relationship with the company he co-founded with Steve Wozniak in 1976 has not always been a smooth one. After the introduction of Apple I, II, the company went public, making Jobs an instant multi-millionaire. But, as the company grew, so too did its need for an experienced executive to help manage its expansion. In 1983, Jobs approached then Pepsi-Cola President John Sculley and offered him the position of Apple CEO. “Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water, or do you want to change the world?” Jobs asked Sculley. Sculley immediately crossed over.

Initially, the two had a productive and friendly working relationship. It was under Sculley and Jobs that the wildly successful Macintosh computer – the first with a graphical user interface – was released. So, too, did the company embark on a successful line of advertisements following in the footsteps of George Orwell’s “1984.” However, as industry-wide sales began to plummet towards the end of 1984, the relationship between Sculley and Jobs became strained.

Under Steve Jobs, Apple had introduced three revolutionary personal computers. But, in one fell swoop, at the direction of Sculley, Jobs was relieved of all of his duties as head of the Macintosh division of the company. As a result, Jobs decided to sell all but one of his shares in Apple. While Jobs was the very public face behind the company, few could have predicted what would come next for Apple without him.

Without its original founder at its helm, the company began to suffer, particularly when it came to innovation. Jobs had transformed the company from a niche manufacturer of personal computers to one at the forefront of all that is new and exciting in the consumer electronics industry. So rapid was the company’s deterioration that in 1997, the board of directors decided to bring Jobs back on board. In 2000, he was fully reinstated, moving from Interim CEO to CEO.

Back with his brainchild, Jobs set out to reinvent the company. He redesigned the physical shape and colour of the Apple PC, which immediately began to lift sales. From there, he began to fix the long term direction of Apple. From being a pioneer in the wireless industry, to producing a music player, to launching a web-based music store, Jobs took the risks he needed to put Apple back on track.

It has had its ups and downs, but under Steve Jobs, Apple has managed to get it right enough times than not to come out on top. Though a recent cancer scare has caused many to question his current health, along with that of the entire company, Jobs shows no signs of stepping down anytime soon.

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Article Tags: apple ceo, chief executive officer, electronics industry, fortune 500, george orwells 1984, global computer, graphical user interface, innovator, john sculley, macintosh computer, pepsi cola, personal computers, president john, public face, rest of your life, smooth one, steve jobs, steve jobs apple, steve wozniak, swoop



Related Forum Posts
Re: What If Steve Jobs Hadn't Returned To Apple In 1997? - Thanks for sharing with us Yinko. Steve Jobs is definitely a visionary. Not only his products are innovative in a technological sense, but he's managed to turn a tech-company's products into a lifestyle.... a lifestyle!! [quote:zfqoq43n]Fast Forward to today. Apple has the sexiest products in the business: iMacs, Macbooks, iPhones, iPods and more.[/quote:zfqoq43n] I think not only tech would be different (music players and phones), but ways we can think of marketing and branding. What Steve Jobs did was of course no easy task for the smaller businesses, but he did start somewhere. What I did not know was that Apple is worth about as much as Google. How do you think Apple accomplish what they did? In terms of strategy wise? If you could advice Steve on one thing, what would it be?
Re: Citizen Journalism: There's no such thing - This clearly shows that if Steve Jobs sneezes the price of the stock will drop. Since Apple is a great company why do they have to link the rise and fall of the stock to one man? So eventually when Steve passes on what is going to happen to Apples stock?
Re: Citizen Journalism: There's no such thing - [quote="ideasuniversity":2zpdpyk9]This clearly shows that if Steve Jobs sneezes the price of the stock will drop. Since Apple is a great company why do they have to link the rise and fall of the stock to one man? So eventually when Steve passes on what is going to happen to Apples stock?[/quote:2zpdpyk9] That's a very good point. He needs to appoint a successor now or in some way affirm that the company will exist even if he goes under!
Re: Apple sold 10 million iphones in 2008 - I love reading the story Apple and Steve Job. 10 millions iphones within a year, this is amazing. I am interested in owning Apple shares
Re: Are you getting an iPad 2? - @GT - we can talk more about it once I get one and I'm happy to answer any questions to see if it might fit your lifestyle. @Yinka - Sorry, no payment from Steve Jobs... I wish!


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