Richard Rumelt - Apple Quotes

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Then, in 1998, I had the chance to talk with Steve Jobs after he'd come back and turned Apple around. I was there to help Telecom Italia try to do a deal with Apple, but after that business was completed I couldn't help asking a question. Steve, I said, this turnaround at Apple has been impressive. But everything we know about the personal-computer business says that Apple will always have a small niche position. The network externalities are just too strong to upset the de facto Wintel standard. So what are you trying to do? What's the longer-term strategy?

Richard Rumelt

Given that background, I was interested in what Steve Jobs might say about the future of Apple. His survival strategy for Apple, for all its skill and drama, was not going to propel Apple into the future. At that moment in time, Apple had less than 4 percent of the personal computer market. The de facto standard was Windows-Intel and there seemed to be no way for Apple to do more than just hang on to a tiny niche.

Richard Rumelt

When organizations are unable to make new strategies — when people evade the work of choosing among different paths in the future — then you get vague mom-and-apple-pie goals everyone can agree on. Such goals are direct evidence of leadership's insufficient will or political power to make or enforce hard choices.

Richard Rumelt