Name:   MartiniMan - Subject:   Watching Apple slip into oblivion Date:   10/13/2015 11:23:20 AM

We can always watch the movie.  I read the biography about him and he was a complex guy but brilliant when it came to product development and marketing.  Sadly that attribute isn't often passed on to the next generation of management usually as a result of a flaw in a leader like Jobs.  Just imagine, all the great products they introduced after his death were his ideas.  Since then its been meh.....

I saw a talk one time by Jack Welch and he was asked a question about some recent (at the time anyway) compensation packages that companies like Home Depot had to pay to attract CEO talent.  His response was I think right on target.  He said don't blame the guy coming in the door, blame the Board and prior c-suite leadership for not cultivating talent to take over.  You need to pay top dollar to get top talent to leave their current position and take the risk. He pointed out the GE had three great options to replace him and when one was picked, the other two left to be very successful CEO's of other multinationals.  That Apple is in this position is the fault of Jobs and the Board, especially the outside members responsible for succession planning.  But all you have to do is look at the composition of Apple's board and you will see a lot of people more interested in social experimentation and politics rather than business.  They were probably all congratulating each other over their enlightened and tolerant choice while the employees and shareholders got screwed.