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This is kind of cultish. Jobs being successful with a certain approach doesn't mean that it's the only possible successful approach and everyone else should cop
by contextfree 16y ago
This is kind of cultish. Jobs being successful with a certain approach doesn't mean that it's the only possible successful approach and everyone else should copy it.
Not that you can't make an argument for his approach to disclosure, but it'd be better if not couched in hero-worship.
- raganwald 16y agoFair enough, however looking at the industry, the correlation between announcing products a year in advance and actually shipping them is low. I conjecture that if we go out and measure things, we will find that the correlation between announcing products a year in advance and being successful with said products is actually negative.
- patrickaljord 16y agoCorrelation does not imply causation.
- raganwald 16y agoit'd be better if not couched in hero-worship I admire what the man has accomplished. That doesn't make me blind to those of his policies that I dislike. For example, I do not develop for iOS at this time, despite owning a collection of said devices, and knowing lots of people who have made excellent coin developing for iOS. Anyhow, I'd like to admire Leo as well. I have opinions. They are often based on feelings. Those feelings are often backed up by rational thought and are perfectly reasonable, but they are still feelings and opinions. If you're looking for a dispassionate argument where everything is in the passive voice, I am not the right person for you. I take the same approach to my work. I try to make things I can admire. Or at least, I try to make things that are less then contemptible. It's the same thing. Anyhow, I don't think that admiring what Steve has accomplished and pointing out his track record is inappropriate when criticizing Leo's choice of announcement in a personal forum like this. It's a personal opinion, which means it's personal.
- contextfree 16y agoThanks. Sometimes writing can convey a sense of objectivity which is not really justified. It can be a kind of affectation, which I've been guilty of, and can come off as pretentious or even bullying. My post had a pseudo-objective tone, but it was my personal reaction as well.
- raganwald 16y agoI'm very cool with that, and I especially agree that there are many paths to success. IBM was especially famous for pre-announcing things to undermine the competition. Microsoft picked that up as well, and it was an effective business strategy.
- ssharp 16y agoA successful tactic for one situation for one company is not guaranteed to transfer. There was once a time where some people anxiously awaited what was coming next from Microsoft or IBM. How many people are eagerly awaiting HP's marriage of the PC and WebOS?
- mmalik 16y agoI agree wholeheartedly with your assertion. The Jobs approach is clearly sufficient, but by no means necessary, for a company to succeed. Take a look at Apotheker's predecessor Mark Hurd. The man is revered in and out for literally saving HP after the Fiorina era and returning it to powerhouse form. He did this by focusing in on financial fundamentals and efficiency - business basics. True, he's not by any stretch of the imagination considered a "visionary", at least in the same way Jobs is, but he helped build a potent rival a different way. I am extremely interested in seeing how Apotheker's tenure will play itself out.