Strong leaders can definitely make or a break a company. Apple’s loss of Steve Jobs is so massive that “[w]ith him gone, the cult may soon dissolve,” says Anver Mandelman from The Globe and Mail.
Mandelman’s reasoning comes from a past event: in 1985 Jobs was pushed out of Apple and the company nearly went belly-up. Jobs eventually returned to save the day. Now that “Apple’s sparkplug is gone” forever, Mandelman thinks, “so is the company’s rosy future.”[1]
Is it possible for Apple to actually turn into a mediocre company? It is really hard to tell at this point, and I think over the next few years it will remain that way. As some years go by, though, I think we may witness changes in Apple and its products. Steve Jobs’ knack for inspiring innovation was what lead the company to what it is today. Larry Ellison, the billionaire chief of Oracle[2], said “[t]he difference between me and Steve is that I’m willing to live with the best the world can provide. With Steve that’s not always good enough.”
For the sake of Jobs and also tech-users worldwide, I hope Apple can continue producing better than good products.
