Cloudy Weather at Apple, Then and Now

It will come as no surprise to anyone that Apple’s stock will rise the moment Steve Jobs takes the stage later today.  By any estimate, Apple is worth billions – with or without Steve Jobs – but like it or not, Apple is not a democracy.  It is an autocracy.  It is a company carrying out the vision and changing the world, all according to the dictates of its leader, Steve Jobs.

I know something about this personally, albeit from a distance.  I worked for Apple for over ten years.  And yes, my claim to fame is that I worked in music.  In fact, I launched the focus on music that led the Music and Entertainment initiatives during my 10 year tenure there. The tragedy of that story, for me, is that it was during what I call the “dark days” at Apple, when Jobs was not sitting on the throne, lobbing ideas faster than the technology could keep up with him.  It was when the helm was run (and run into the ground) by others, with the phrase, “Et tu Brute,” hanging in the air.

I can remember saying to anyone who would listen that the only hope for us was somehow if Steve Jobs came back to Apple.  Nobody believed he would, of course.  He was running not one, but two companies by that time.  Surprising everyone, however, he did come back. Sadly, one of his first moves was to trim off as much as he could; to focus on the fundamentals in order to turn the company around, and my department was part of those cuts.  But turn it around he did.  Even though it meant a big career shift for me, I’d have to say that almost every single project Steve Jobs created, once back at Apple, was the right thing at the right time.  Quite simply, he has a passion and keen sense for what the consumer wants.  In my opinion as an insider AND an outsider, it never would have worked without him.

Here’s the coin flip on that one.  He’s built a Martha Stewart or Oprah type of empire, one that may not work without him on the throne.  Let’s look at the biggest example to date. The iPad.  When the iPad came out, Steve Jobs literally, single handedly changed a lot more than how people used computers or exchanged information.  He literally changed the economic structure of the publishing industry overnight, by his own design, just as he had previously done with music, film and TV – and nobody got a vote.  The technology is in place …and the consumer will now drive what comes next. Publishing companies will either get on the bandwagon, or run the risk of being left behind. It’s just that simple.

And with all of the controversy around clouds and lockers, especially in the music industry, Jobs has again stepped into the ring with a technology that consumers will trust.  Yes, some would say that he’s behind the curve – that lockers and clouds are already available, but it is the trusted brand of Apple that will bring clouds out of the status of rebel and into the accepted mainstream.  With Steve Jobs carving out legitimacy for a niche in the digital industry that is long overdue, perhaps music will finally stop bleeding revenue.   And Apple?   Well, as any good cloud knows, the sky’s the limit.

Kelli Richards, CEO of All Access Group