davesmall

Apple Will Flourish With or Without Steve Jobs

Most really successful companies are founded by visionary entrepreneurs who focus on customers and are willing to take risks. They are change instigators. Their natural enemy is the bureaucrat - usually accountants and lawyers - who tend to be change avoiders seeking budget compliance rather than innovators seeking change.

When Steve left Apple the first time he was replaced by a guy from Pepsi Cola (John Sculley) and the Bureaucrats started taking over. Apple naturally began to decline. Bureaucrats only know how to lead when going downhill.

What's so remarkable about Apple is that the entrepreneur made a comeback. And the second time around he was experienced, seasoned, and better able to run a big company than before.

Great entrepreneurs are never short on ideas and vision but they often lack the resources and team to make those ideas really percolate. This time he insulated himself from the bureaucrats and surrounded himself with a team of like-minded innovators such as Jonathan Ive and Tim Cook.

Losing Steve would be a tough break but it wouldn't be so bad as bringing in another Pepsi Cola guy.