Recently Apple launched their iPad 2 which Steve Jobs appearing briefly from his medical leave. An article from cnbc.com stated that "Shares of Apple jumped immediately following reports of Job's presence." Now I know Steve Jobs is a god among men when it comes to the technological development field but I personally think he is vastly over idolized. Since his sick leave, Apple stocks have dropped slightly but once he made his appearance they jumped back up and even rose. This, to me, seems slightly dramatic. There's much more to Apple than just Steve Jobs, and just because he is ill or makes some sort of appearance does not mean that there is either trouble or some sort of magnet for investment. I personally think this is a pattern seen throughout various companies, Microsoft for example.
Now my question is are these corporate and technological geniuses over idolized? Or are people not looking past the face of these companies?
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I agree that some Excutives, expecvially in the technology sectors, are over idolized for their genius. I think that it is unhealthy for a company to get their customers that dependent on a face in order to feel confortable about the company. In the instance of Apple, because the stockholders are so dependent on Steve Jobs, when he isn't around the company takes a stock hit. I think it would be smarter for companies to put the value of the company more on the performance and products than on the appearance of one executive.
In the same breath I think the way Steve Jobs has become iconic in the tech world has helped Apple while he is there. Whenever Apple is about to release a new product there seems to be a tangible buzz of excitement. I think this is in part due to how Steve Jobs represents the company. However I think it is important for Apple, as well as other companies to understand that a company can outlive a man, and a backup plan is important if they want to maintain the success they have been seeing.
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