Posted on 06/29/2008 8:35:45 PM PDT by Swordmaker
In an interview with The Financial Times yesterday, Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg had this to say when asked about the competition posed by Apple’s iPhone:
“It’s very cool. And Steve Jobs eventually will get old… I like our chances.”
That’s got to be one of the most indelicate utterances by one CEO regarding another.
Mr. Seidenberg is about a decade older than Mr. Jobs, so he can’t possibly be referring to his age with the most unfortunate “Steve Jobs eventually will get old” phrase. He must be referring to Mr. Job’s frail appearance at the Apple WWDC in June.
Apple said Mr. Jobs was suffering from a “common bug” but various pundits and AAPL shorters claimed it was due to his recent brush with pancreatic cancer. Nobody outside of his immediate circle really knows what may or may not be medically worrisome with Mr. Jobs, but why would a competitor’s CEO feel the need to raise it so brazenly?
This chart covering the period from Mr. Jobs’ cancer diagnosis in October 2003 to the present might give a clue (red: Apple, blue: Verizon):
What’s peculiar is that Apple doesn’t directly compete with Verizon: the former is the maker of the iPhone, the latter is a carrier. The competitor Verizon should actually be worried about is AT&T, Apple’s iPhone carrier partner in the U.S.
What should really concern Verizon’s board, however, is why 18 months after the announcement of the iPhone, the Verizon camp hasn’t been able to come up with any remotely credible “iPhone-killer”? They should ask their CEO what other concrete plans he might have to compete with the iPhone other than hoping that Apple’s CEO drops out of the picture due to “old age.” How does the $20.3 million-a-year CEO of a $100 billion company like Verizon display so openly its inability to compete on innovation by placing its “chances” on the demise of another CEO?
Can you imagine another CEO, even such an old adversary like Bill Gates (or even Steve Ballmer, not lacking tackiness otherwise), would ever make such an ill-wishing statement? For shame. The least Mr. Seidenberg can do is to apologize to Mr. Jobs pronto.
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Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg dismissed suggestions that the iPhone’s going mass-market by claiming it a conspiracy. Bitter, much?
It’s hard not to call it sour grapes when Seidenberg told the Financial Times “There goes the conspiracy again…you’re declaring them a winner before they’ve earned it on the field.”
What conspiracy, Mr Seidenberg? That Apple’s iPhone gets the kind of press that Verizon can’t hope to generate for any of its data plans, let alone a single mobile device? It’s a shame that Verizon’s hot-headed CEO is reacting, instead of thinking up ways to keep Verizon in the public eye. AT&T has the iPhone, Sprint has the Samsung Instinct. Verizon, unfortunately, doesn’t have a single ‘killer’ device to bring to market and steal either of the operators’ thunder.
Seidenberg thunders on about how Steve Jobs has no monopoly on innovation. “And Steve Jobs eventually will get old . . . I like our chances." Verizon recently bought fifth-largest US wireless company Alltel, making Verizon Wireless the leading mobile operator with 80 million customers.
Vodafone entertained the notion of buying over Verizon Communications last year but Seidenberg thinks of Verizon as the hunter, not the hunted.
"In the long term, my view is that we’re the hunter. That’s the way I see it, and I’m trying to develop a new generation of hunters."
Fighting words, Mr. Seidenberg. Verizon certainly seems bullish – what with recently spending $23bn on a high-speed, fibre optic network offering theoretical speeds of 50 megabits a second. But though Verizon Wireless may be the biggest carrier, the question here is whether Verizon can keep those 80 billion [sic] customers and how they’ll make sure they won’t go running to the competition. Well, in ways apart from annoying long-term phone contracts, that is.
A buddy at the office saw Steve walking around Palo Alto last week, and confirms that he’s not lookin’ good.
Or perhaps in his opinion people are getting tired of Steve Jobs.
verizon’s crooked.
they charge you for stuff that you didn’t get,
and then you have to call them and contest the charges.
gets tiresome.
Jobs response: “Scoreboard”
Microsoft may suck -- and they will continue to suck just as they have always sucked, now that Bill has stepped down. But their profit margins will stay healthy for some time. Apple is not going to be able to say the same.
That is a lot of customers . What is making them sic ?
So to say that Apple will fail if something happens to Jobs is really unfair to the thousands of capable folks who bring products to market. And their product line, at present is wide and deep. The best laptop bar none. The best music players without a peer. The best software in many aspects -- simple to use and quite sufficient for the vast majority of personal, small business, and some corporate. And by far the best phone with internet and music capabilities... by far.
Microsoft sucks not just because of Bill Gates and his personality but because they don't have the nimble decision making and execution required in this fast paced and demanding environment. They should get smaller rather than bigger and recognize the future and what it requires. It's a whole new world and it is right now being shaped by Apple.
If Verizon allowed you to use ObEx then there would be no discussion about Verizon losing market share.
Jobs was forced out the first time, the apple board wanted somebody in charge who “think differently” than Jobs and that’s what they got. With Apple’s run since Jobs’ return, the board will be searching for an iClone.
Of course Apple will take a hit when Steve steps down, whether because he is ill, or because he retires, or whatever. He is the personal embodiment of much of Apple's luster. It does not require a crystal ball to see that.
Nevertheless, he's not an idiot, and Apple's board is not composed of idiots.
I have no worries about them having a plan already in place, with some number of contingencies. Apple will suffer briefly for whatever takes Steve out, but they will bounce back fairly quickly. He's not irreplaceable.
Look for someone helping him at the next big show. They'll bring about this change in stages.
An utterly ludicrous interpretation of the CEO’s statement; AppleBots have to really dredge the bottom of the swamp to get “drop dead” from the quoted language.
He didn't "step down", he was thrown under the bus.
The people who tried to replace him had no vision.
I have hope that this time he has a succession plan.
Alighting upon the obvious with a sense of discovery.
That is true. Apple has a much stronger "bench" than most people realize. I think they have at least 3 or 4 top tier executives who could step in and effectively lead the company. Jobs saved the company and built something that will stand long after he departs.
It’s a potshot at Apple, but it’s really a potshot at AT&T - Verizon and AT&T are squaring off for a big showdown across the board - as ISPs, as cell phone providers, etc. and it’s pretty brutal.
Didn’t Apple give Verizon first shot at the iPhone? I think Verizon knows it blew it by refusing Jobs’ terms and it’s all sour grapes from here.
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