Some people just don't like working for others, even if it's Apple. And that's amplified when you've got millions of dollars in the bank and have no need for a pay cheque to pay the bills.
Do you think Steve Jobs would have stuck with Apple after it acquired NeXT, if he wasn't CEO? I highly doubt he would, he would have moved on as soon as his contract ended.
But he didn't become CEO. He stayed on as a consultant. NeXT was acquired in 1996. Jobs became interim CEO a year later. He didn't become permanent CEO until 2000.
edit: I highly doubt he would, he would have moved on as soon as his contract ended. Reading this latter sentence, perhaps you didn't mean that he was CEO right away. But I'm not sure. :)
I would quit too. I love Apple products but they come at a huge human cost. One of my best friends works there and he's always extremely stressed out. He works like 15 hour days, 6 days a week. He's constantly bailing on his obligations because Apple decides to run a conference call at a ridiculous hour of the night, or right before we go into a theater to watch a movie. Nevermind the China trips that get dragged out for weeks. I've heard from him on several occasions that there are few people who have worked at Apple longer than a few years because of the burnout.
May depend on which role or which products. I had a friend who did tech support at Apple for 10+ years and loved it, and another friend who works as a web dev and loves it as well.
I don't think either of my friends were in roles that had to fear Apple's goon squad... imagine things are different if you work on something iPhone/iPad/iOS related.
Your comment seems a bit trite and overly dismissive, which is why it has been downvoted into oblivion, but there is a possible grain of truth there to watch out for.
It has been rumored for a while that Scott Forstall, head of iOS, is extremely difficult to work with, and has been the reason for a number of people leaving Apple. I can't even begin to guess whether this is true or not -- I don't have any way of knowing. But this may actually be something to watch for over the next couple of years.
[+] [-] codeup|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] badusername|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] plainOldText|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ashleyw|14 years ago|reply
Do you think Steve Jobs would have stuck with Apple after it acquired NeXT, if he wasn't CEO? I highly doubt he would, he would have moved on as soon as his contract ended.
[+] [-] PakG1|14 years ago|reply
edit: I highly doubt he would, he would have moved on as soon as his contract ended. Reading this latter sentence, perhaps you didn't mean that he was CEO right away. But I'm not sure. :)
[+] [-] physcab|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] krobertson|14 years ago|reply
I don't think either of my friends were in roles that had to fear Apple's goon squad... imagine things are different if you work on something iPhone/iPad/iOS related.
[+] [-] unreal37|14 years ago|reply
Siri: Redirects user to his broker's web site showing his millions of dollars in AAPL shares...
[+] [-] jordhy|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] sjwright|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] danilocampos|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] wanorris|14 years ago|reply
It has been rumored for a while that Scott Forstall, head of iOS, is extremely difficult to work with, and has been the reason for a number of people leaving Apple. I can't even begin to guess whether this is true or not -- I don't have any way of knowing. But this may actually be something to watch for over the next couple of years.
[+] [-] hkmurakami|14 years ago|reply
[+] [-] recoiledsnake|14 years ago|reply