Apple and customers first


John Gruber:

But eventually they'll hit a dry spell. Slumps are inevitable. And I worry that eventually, during such a slump, "the market" will put irresistible pressure on Apple's future leadership to start acting more like a typical company -- one that only pays lip service to creating great products and putting customers first.

I could be wrong, but my observation is that under Cook, Apple seems more customer focused than under Jobs. I feel like now more than ever Apple is respecting its customers and trying to leverage that as a competitive advantage. This is a good thing, so I'm not sure if it's really worth worrying about right now.

However, I think eventually Apple will likely be in a position where percentage growth levels out. Before worrying about investors, however, I think it's more likely they'll have to first yield to their own employees. When compensation is tied to Apple's stock performance, Apple will first have to worry about attracting and retaining its talented employees. Or reconsider how it compensates its most valuable employees.