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WSJ Personal Technology Columnist Walt Mossberg reacts to Steve Jobs’ resignation at Apple.
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They've got the legendary co-founder of apple stepping down as CEO here with reaction a man who was interviewed jobs -- and -- know Steve Jobs Walt Mossberg personal technology.
At the Wall Street Journal -- just your reaction when you found out the news.
-- -- dig and my reaction was.
That I was sad I mean I can't say that I was shocked totally but.
But I was sad because it's really the end of an extraordinary era.
He's very much alive I want to stress that we're not talking you know be actuary here.
But.
He's no longer of the CEO.
After fourteen years of probably the most.
Exciting.
Big company we have -- in America today and the era in which He was the CEO of that company.
Was as I said in an -- I wrote this morning and last night truly an extraordinary era.
And in that essay -- you really -- when you see it in print.
And thank god for Pratt when you see it written down the way that you did it's breathtaking.
With -- you have to go back to.
The Mac.
And the -- -- and her face and the mouse and everything if He did.
For computing in this country even before there is I've -- and I've and an iPad and everything they've done in recent history.
Not to mention a little side project of -- called Pixar.
And I don't laugh but it's just astonishing which I mean look.
He here's the thing.
This is a guy who.
Not by himself He was surrounded by by important partners including right from the beginning with the apple two with Steve Wozniak but He.
Really.
Acting differently I think -- and most CEOs He did not manage for the quarter.
Did not manage for the stock price -- you probably know.
He hardly I think there was only one analyst.
Earnings call He ever appeared on.
He managed.
To produce products that He thought the actual user of the product would want to use.
Not IT department.
Cellphone carrier.
And He didn't manage per.
This quarter's earnings He managed for the long term and He didn't build his products based on focus groups in market research He He -- to -- it.
Those things would be useless because He was trying to figure think of the thing that the next thing that they user didn't even know they wanted yet.
And He just He just moved from.
From fantastic idea -- fantastic idea at a fantastic idea with really very few misses in a long career.
-- -- Walt that but that raises the question of what does the company look like.
How does it change without him running.
Well first of all.
I have been told by a sources with really direct knowledge of the situation.
That as chairman.
And as a continuing to be an employee of the company which is -- actually very important.
He will remain involved.
In.
Critique not in the data -- affairs anymore.
He's been obviously -- out of that for a while due to his medical leave.
But -- intends very much to remain involved in.
The planning of their their their big products and they're big strategies going forward.
Like most companies they have a product pipeline.
Unlike most companies they have a pretty.
Long product pipeline because they do -- for the long term.
So they have a two or maybe in some cases even three year.
View of what they're going to do and that includes improvements.
To the products they have on the market at and in.
It includes I believe product we don't even know they -- work and on yet.
And -- that those kinds of future and big things are the things he's gonna still be involved -- so that's the first point that's very important.
Secondly.
I don't know Tim Cook nearly as well and you can't replace Steve Jobs because He is a historical figure.
But.
He -- Tim Cook has been.
Intimately intimately involved in the production and conception of a lot of these products.
And He has.
Run apple is acting CEO now for several with.
Fairly lengthy periods of time so it's not like they just brought in somebody knew from the outside that doesn't get the culture and doesn't get his DNA.
And they have a very strong bench I mean you know for all of his vision and it in it was as you said breathtaking.
Steve.
Jobs didn't actually.
Design these products He -- He got involved in rejecting designs are accepting designs or.
You know intervening in the particulars of certain products but.
You know their design team is still there.
-- tremendous marketing team is still there.
And Tim Cook and his folks.
It did an amazing job every day or one.
Supply chain and operations things apple used to be truly terrible -- So I don't think there's any near term.
Risks that the DNA and the vision of the company or the next six years of products are are gonna go away I think for the moment.
That DNA as big -- -- walk I encourage everybody to read the essay that you wrote changing how we live because again it's a way for us to celebrate his accomplishments.
While -- a lot.
Because as you point out in the -- it's not an obituary and that's I think maybe something Steve Jobs could appreciate you know.
Well that's what I was trying to do and you did it and then sound as always -- on budget could be -- trip to talk to you that Walt Mossberg.
All the Wall Street Journal also read Walt reviewed and the journal today incredible view about.
The on these TV gadgets using Internet on your television law thank you again.
Thank you dig -- B well we want to --
