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Steve Jobs resigns from Apple

25 August 2011 08:33 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Nijat Mustafayev â€“ APA-Economics. In news which has stunned the world’s technology (and business) communities, legendary company founder, Steve Jobs, has resigned as Apple CEO. The visionary oversaw the development of the iMac computer, iPod MP3 player, iPhone, and iPad tablet computer which are each credited with helping transform the world’s technology market and subsequently, the way people interact with technology. The products have attracted legions of zealot-like fans in the process and Jobs has become something of an idol.

Jobs has been suffering ill health for years but he gave no reason for his sudden announcement in his resignation letter. He does however recommend that Tim Cook be appointed his successor as part of an existing "succession plan".
The chances of replacing a leader like Jobs are slim to none. The same thing was said about GEâ€™s legendary Jack Welch when he retired, and Welch wasnâ€™t anywhere near the lofty status of Jobs. And it turned out to be true: GE under Jeffrey Immelt has never been the same.

In the short-term, a Job-less Apple should be okay. The current product pipe line is already set, and versions 18 months from now are already in the works. While Apple will miss the marketing showmanship of Jobs at product launches, iPhone 5 should still be a huge success.

In fact, Apple might fare better without Jobs in at least one upcoming service, iCloud. â€œJobs really didnâ€™t get the back office,â€ says tech analyst Rob Enderle. â€œHe was strong on hardware and user experience but weak on services, which includes the Web. The cloud might actually go better without him.â€

The bigger loss will be felt down the road, namely Jobsâ€™ ability to visualize markets and execute on future products. â€œOnly about 5 percent of people can imagine something, play with it in their mind and visualize the outcome,â€ executive leadership expert Paul David Walker, author of Unleashing Genius, told me. â€œJobs is in the 1 percent of that 5 percent.â€ (For more on my Q&A with Walker, check out Leadership Lessons from Apple CEO Steve Jobs.)

Jobâ€™s ability to work with engineers will also be sorely missed. Engineers, says Walker, respect his intellectual acumen and cognitive skills. He could take their ideas and turn them into products that sell. Despite his reputation as a tough boss, â€œSteve Jobs is an engineerâ€™s greatest ally,â€ Walker says.

Adds Enderle: â€œHe was the perfect counterpoint to the typical engineer who tends to go feature crazy but has no idea how to sell a product. If Jobs couldnâ€™t figure out how to sell it, it didnâ€™t go in.â€

Thereâ€™s no question Jobs attracted top talent in every corner of Apple. People wanted to know what is was like to work for an iconic leader. With Jobs gone, expect an exodus of talent at Apple. â€œHe held a lot of talented people in the company,â€ Enderle says. â€œThey have been leaving quietly for months in anticipation of his departure. I expect that will accelerate now.â€

Unfortunately for Apple, Jobs also didnâ€™t help the company prepare for life without him.

â€œSteve Jobs redesigned Apple around his unique skill set, and then not only didnâ€™t mentor a replacement but blocked the board from creating one,â€ Enderle says. â€œThat has just become a problem. Apple will have to change. Like Disney after Walt, that change is likely to eventually be very painful.â€