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Not really. People were worried about Steve Jobs and Apple. They did fine. I think Buffet has instilled enough of his values and vision in the company, memoria

by anonu 9y ago

Not really. People were worried about Steve Jobs and Apple. They did fine. I think Buffet has instilled enough of his values and vision in the company, memorialized in the annual letters, books, interviews. The concepts will live on.

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
- leetcrew 9y ago
  > Let's look at Apple 10 years after Jobs' passing. 3 years to go! How have you liked Apple's innovations since 2011? it's always important to remember that the CEO is not solely responsible for the successes and failures of a multi-billion dollar company. that said, it's really hard to look at apple under cook's leadership and say that it's anywhere near as innovative as it was with jobs at the helm. the bulk of their current revenue is just riding the wave that jobs started with the first iphone. the iphone x is the most daring thing they've done in years, and it's basically just an iphone with a big screen. the iOS UX is still really good, but it's not much better than a clean android setup. on the other hand, the desktop UX feels very dated at this point. I never thought I would find windows to have a more modern look and feel than apple, and it's downright depressing to see what the mac pro has become. the company still performs very well as an investment vehicle though; I doubt they are in any trouble in the near-medium term.
  - fullshark 9y ago
    Apple watch was after Jobs died, it's a success even if no one thinks it is. There's a very real chance nothing they do will ever compare to the Iphone.
    - poulsbohemian 9y ago
      No kidding -- I was on a boat with 15 random tourists recently and was the only person not wearing an Apple Watch. Made an impact.
- matt_m 9y ago
  I agree it's too early to say. I don't think we can just look at a timeline though... we'll at least need to know what the next big market is, before we can say they lost their ambition/ability or waited too long. Even the iPod depended on hard drive miniaturization for example, it probably wasn't possible years earlier.
- sumedh 9y ago
  > then BRK would be lucky to be able to get a manager of Buffet's quality when Buffet is no longer available. Buffett said Ajit Jain, the chief of one insurance division has made more money for Berkshire than Buffett himself
icelancer 9y ago
>> Not really. People were worried about Steve Jobs and Apple. They did fine. Oh, I wouldn't say that. Succession risk is a lagging indicator. That Apple is doing fine now - extremely well, actually - and has for a few years since Jobs passed away is no good predictor of the future. There are a lot of reasons to be short Apple's long-term future; moreso since Jobs died.
- tim333 9y ago
  Though I see Apple is Berkshire's largest stock position by acquisition cost so there are presumably reasons to be long also.
mbesto 9y ago
Not to mention - BRK is more than just Buffet - it's also Munger. This is pure speculation, but I would have to guess that the people next in line are chosen for a certain code of ethics consistent with WB/CM.
- tim333 9y ago
  Yeah ethics and quite a number of other characteristics. Buffett has written quite a lot about it. It this letter: >Each has been with Berkshire for decades, and Berkshire’s blood flows through their veins. The character of each man matches his talents. And that says it all. given it will probably be Ajit or Greg as things stand. Quite likely Greg as CEO.

by anonu 9y ago

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

leetcrew 9y ago
> Let's look at Apple 10 years after Jobs' passing. 3 years to go! How have you liked Apple's innovations since 2011? it's always important to remember that the CEO is not solely responsible for the successes and failures of a multi-billion dollar company. that said, it's really hard to look at apple under cook's leadership and say that it's anywhere near as innovative as it was with jobs at the helm. the bulk of their current revenue is just riding the wave that jobs started with the first iphone. the iphone x is the most daring thing they've done in years, and it's basically just an iphone with a big screen. the iOS UX is still really good, but it's not much better than a clean android setup. on the other hand, the desktop UX feels very dated at this point. I never thought I would find windows to have a more modern look and feel than apple, and it's downright depressing to see what the mac pro has become. the company still performs very well as an investment vehicle though; I doubt they are in any trouble in the near-medium term.
- fullshark 9y ago
  Apple watch was after Jobs died, it's a success even if no one thinks it is. There's a very real chance nothing they do will ever compare to the Iphone.
  - poulsbohemian 9y ago
    No kidding -- I was on a boat with 15 random tourists recently and was the only person not wearing an Apple Watch. Made an impact.
matt_m 9y ago
I agree it's too early to say. I don't think we can just look at a timeline though... we'll at least need to know what the next big market is, before we can say they lost their ambition/ability or waited too long. Even the iPod depended on hard drive miniaturization for example, it probably wasn't possible years earlier.
sumedh 9y ago
> then BRK would be lucky to be able to get a manager of Buffet's quality when Buffet is no longer available. Buffett said Ajit Jain, the chief of one insurance division has made more money for Berkshire than Buffett himself

icelancer 9y ago

>> Not really. People were worried about Steve Jobs and Apple. They did fine. Oh, I wouldn't say that. Succession risk is a lagging indicator. That Apple is doing fine now - extremely well, actually - and has for a few years since Jobs passed away is no good predictor of the future. There are a lot of reasons to be short Apple's long-term future; moreso since Jobs died.

tim333 9y ago
Though I see Apple is Berkshire's largest stock position by acquisition cost so there are presumably reasons to be long also.

mbesto 9y ago

Not to mention - BRK is more than just Buffet - it's also Munger. This is pure speculation, but I would have to guess that the people next in line are chosen for a certain code of ethics consistent with WB/CM.

tim333 9y ago
Yeah ethics and quite a number of other characteristics. Buffett has written quite a lot about it. It this letter: >Each has been with Berkshire for decades, and Berkshire’s blood flows through their veins. The character of each man matches his talents. And that says it all. given it will probably be Ajit or Greg as things stand. Quite likely Greg as CEO.