Chapter 6 Section 4 If History Is a Gambling Game

Although the media praised Jobs' return to the helm of Apple, and Apple's stock price showed signs of recovery, it was more due to a star effect-when a former star who had created the golden age of the personal computer, in the far away After many years, media attention and public hot spots have returned to the center of the stage, and people are naturally curious.There are many expectations, but more voices of doubt. The industry giant at the time, the head of Dell Computer Corporation, Michael Dell (Michael Dell) was quite disapproving of Jobs' appointment as Apple's interim CEO. A company that returns money to shareholders.”

Another giant, Microsoft boss Bill Gates, said in a conversation that was later revealed: "Steve Jobs wants to run the company again, which is a waste of time. I don't understand why he is still the CEO of Apple. He knew he couldn't win." If history were a gamble, if people in 1997 bet on whether Jobs could save Apple, would anyone place the bet on Jobs?If someone predicted in 1997 that the return of Mr. Joe would make Apple's stock price rise 100 times within 15 years, would anyone believe it? Positive point of view: I bet Jobs to win, he may reverse Apple's defeat, because:

Jobs' personal charisma is unparalleled. Jobs was well versed in marketing and sales. Apple's brand still has some influence. Jobs is the founder of Apple, and he has the greatest passion and motivation to save the company. Contra view: I am not optimistic about Jobs, he is facing an unsolvable dead end, because: Apple's stock price has fallen to its lowest point in 12 years, the company has run out of cash flow, and its capital turnover is in a quagmire. Apple Computer is no longer as invincible in the market as it was in the late 1970s. The PC camp led by the blue giant IBM and the software empire Microsoft has almost monopolized the global market.

Apple's internal product lines have many names, and different product groups compete with each other for limited resources. It is not uncommon for products to have overlapping functions and technology incompatibility. Apple's main products on the market, such as Macintosh computers, have frequent failures, and the MacOS operating system on the computers often crashes, receiving complaints and complaints from a large number of users almost every day. In recent years, Apple has been laying off employees continuously, and people are panicking. There are many internal management problems, such as overstaffing, departmental estrangement, unclear rights and responsibilities, and lengthy processes, which are common problems in large enterprises.

Apple is surrounded by strong external enemies.At that time, Microsoft's Windows95 was in the limelight, and PCs using Windows had almost squeezed Macintosh computers into a dead end.Misfortunes never come singly, and Apple has also fallen into an intellectual property dispute with Microsoft, and the lawsuit has never had a clear clue. Not many people believe that Apple can continue to support itself independently, and industry giants such as Sun and Oracle have long been eyeing, trying to acquire Apple. Bottom line: Jobs had no experience leading any company to success as CEO after leaving Apple in 1985. He failed repeatedly at NeXT and was eventually acquired by Apple in a dramatic way.Why should a CEO with no successful experience deserve everyone to put the bet on his side?

Alright, alright, no need to continue listing.Compared with the mere pros and cons, each of the facts listed by the opposing party is to the point and it is difficult to refute.Most people certainly wouldn't bet on Jobs. However, we already know today that this gamble ended with a big victory for Gang Leader Qiao. If history were a game of gambling, 99% of gamblers would lose everything. History is so good at charades, and history is so unpredictable. Today, in New York, in San Francisco, in Beijing, in Shanghai, in Paris, in London, in every corner of the earth, the Apple logo with a bite out can be seen everywhere, and the streets are full of people holding iPads on their knees and playing "angry". Little bird", young man with iPhone in his hands roaming the internet or video calling, listening to iPod music with headphones in his ears.

Just imagine, if Jobs in 1997, like most people, completely lost confidence in Apple, would today's high-tech industry be bleak without a series of magical touches after Jobs returned to Apple?Will today's lifestyle lack many bright spots? Jobs not only saved Apple, but also single-handedly created an industry myth that has never been seen before, and it is estimated that there will be no more comers in the future.In May 2010, Apple's market value in the capital market surpassed Microsoft in one fell swoop, becoming the most valuable technology company on earth. In the spring of 2011, Apple’s share price even reached around $350—considering that Apple had split its shares twice at a ratio of 2:1 after 1997, the previously mentioned 1997 Independence Day stock price of close to $13 would be based on today’s price. Standard conversion, only a little more than 3.4 US dollars.In less than 15 years, Apple's stock price has risen 100 times!

As Google CEO Eric Schmidt said in an interview with Time magazine in 2006: "Apple is performing perhaps the most spectacular second show in the history of technology. The road to recovery like this is unforgettable."