14 DAY TRIAL // A report over at the Los Angeles Times looks at Steve Jobs’ return as Apple CEO, while citing company watchers on the future of Apple Inc., with or without its iconic CEO. Also mentioned in the report, Apple’s stock is beginning to recover from last year’s decline in price, though very slowly, due to the superlatively secretive nature of the company.
For those who are not very familiar with Apple’s recent history, the company’s CEO took a six-month medical leave last year citing aggravating health conditions (side effects of an older battle with cancer), which he / Apple did not fully disclose initially. Jobs said he himself had recently learned of his condition – loss in weight, as a result of his body not handling proteins right. Jobs' medical leave included having a liver transplant, recently reported by Softpedia. Now that he’s returned to Apple, the company behind the Mac operating system should see a Steve Jobs able to actively fulfill his CEO duties again.
The piece in question outlines that Apple is more than ready to continue its innovative business, even without Steve Jobs at the helm. Analysts suggest that Jobs has inspired every Apple exec to become somewhat of a successor. “The cult of Jobs' personality is ingrained in the corporation,” the text reads.
“When Apple goes to hire somebody, the No. 1 criteria isn't how much experience you have or who you know,” Van Baker, an analyst at Gartner Inc., a technology consulting firm, says. “It's whether they think you will fit into the culture.” Another analyst is cited as saying that, “Jobs has driven into the DNA of Apple that they want to make products that are very well-built and very easy to use.” “Everyone I've met at Apple, from the clerk to the chief financial officer, gets that,” Daniel Ernst, an analyst at Hudson Square Research, adds. “If Jobs were to disappear permanently tomorrow, it wouldn't change this company one iota.”
However, Gartner’s Baker also shares that, “Their extraordinary focus on controlling their own destiny makes them a difficult company to work with.” “It's led to issues with several media companies.”
In other words, Jobs has established a surprisingly good system, but also put his fingerprint on the company in somewhat of a negative way. One of those negative aspects surrounding Apple is the company's lack of transparency. For example, who will succeed Jobs? – still a burning question, as Jobs has returned to Apple. As mentioned a few paragraphs above, Apple failed to inform investors about the actual health state of its CEO. It remains to be seen how much credibility Apple will continue to have in the lines of those who rely on its success for a profit.