Apple picker The Czech translation of the book will be published in a few weeks The cursed empire - Apple after the death of Steve Jobs from journalist Yukari Iwatani Kane, who tries to portray how Apple works after the death of Steve Jobs and how things go downhill for him. Jablíčkář is now available to you in cooperation with the publishing house blue vision offers an exclusive look under the hood of the upcoming book - part of the chapter titled "Dance on the Water Lily Leaves".
Readers of Jablíčkář also have a unique opportunity to order a book The cursed empire - Apple after the death of Steve Jobs pre-order for a cheaper price of 360 crowns and get free shipping. You can pre-order on a special page apple.bluevision.cz.
At dawn on a crisp November morning in 2010, the engines of two empty buses rumbled in front of an empty corporate campus. While the drivers were waiting for their passengers, the headlights of oncoming cars began to cut through the gray morning chill in the parking lot. With the commitment inherent in Apple's corporate culture, early morning arrivals to work were not uncommon. However, senior managers were gathering for a different purpose this time. Instead of heading to the offices, they boarded the buses, chatting freely and watching intently from the windows to see who else had been chosen to join them.
They were headed to the Top 100 meeting, a secret corporate event Jobs was hosting at a resort south of Monterey Bay. Apple had just launched a series of lighter and smaller MacBook Air laptops, and the company had a big holiday sales season ahead of it. New versions of the iPad and iPhone were being worked on simultaneously, so it was a good time to get out of the daily routine and think about Apple's future strategy.
The Top 100 events represented something of a brain trust of the firm. Everything related to them was kept secret and no one was allowed to write it down on the calendar. Those who got on the list were asked not to talk about their invitation to anyone and not to cause envy. Secrecy made the event even more desirable and reinforced the impression that the company was working on things too exciting and extraordinary to talk about with everyone.
In reality, the secrecy was just a farce. There was no way that the disappearance of a hundred managers would go unnoticed, especially when they needed preparation help from their subordinates. During their absence, some of the underlings held a sneaky "Bottom 100" meeting (Bottom 100). Mostly it was a discreet event: lunch or a few drinks, a snack and a little relaxation. One of the favorite places to go was BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse, which was so close that the staff thought of it as their own. They jokingly called it IL7, i.e. the unofficial seventh building of the complex.
The core of the elite group included all of Jobs' closest aides, such as Cook, Ive, mobile software chief Scott Forstall, marketing chief Phil Schiller, and iTunes chief Eddy Cue. The rest of the names chosen were guided by Jobs' priorities and could change from year to year. Sales managers were largely bypassed because Jobs saw them as replaceable. Lee Clow, creative director at TBWAChiatDay, the agency responsible for Apple's award-winning ads, was invited even though he wasn't part of the company. Jobs believed that the modern and distinctive campaigns that Clow's team came up with were essential to the Apple brand. Intel executive Paul Otellini also attended part of the conference, as did AT&T key contact Glenn Lurie. It was said that Jobs liked to mix up the mix of attendees so that at least a third of the list consisted of unseen faces.
Previous participation was not a guarantee of further invitation. And even if you were selected, your invitation could evaporate in an instant. One year, one new iTunes manager was already pulled off the bus. After one meeting a few days earlier that didn't go well, Jobs called him an "idiot" and ordered that the hapless man's invitation be revoked.
Jobs called meetings of the Top 100 irregularly and always about a month in advance. In some years there were two meetings, in others not even one. At these meetings, Apple's biggest products and services were revealed internally for the first time. Attendees at previous events learned about Apple's retail strategy and got a first look at the iPhone and iPad. One year, Jobs asked participants for ideas for a digital music player that Apple was developing. It was an exciting moment, but the excitement soon faded.
After attendees eagerly suggested names like iPlay and iMusic, Jobs said, “That's all bullshit. I'll stick with what I've got.'
