This Syndey Morning Herald article poses an interesting question: what happens to Apple after Steve Jobs? Steve, after all, is more than just a CEO; he’s prophet, priest, and king all rolled into one. So what happens when he reaches the end of his reign?
During Jobs’s cancer scare a few years ago, Chief Operations Officer Tim Cook took the reigns, but it was hardly a noticeable difference—and Steve was still there. But unless Leopard or, um, Ocelot has some serious rejuvenation functionality, well, the man ain’t getting any younger. Alexander the Great’s empire fell apart after his death; Judah and Israel went their separate ways after Solomon kicked the bucket. Is there anyone in Apple who could keep the momentum going, or are we doomed to reenter the dark ages of Sculley, Spindler, and Amelio?
My opinion? The man to look to is not Steve Ballmer “good twin” Phil Schiller, but the spotlight-shy Jonathan Ive, the man who embodies what Apple is perhaps most famous for: design. Plus, I’ll bet you he won’t ask for a raise.
[via Digg]
