And this one about Mr. Belanger is VERY INTERESTING. It regards a 1997 cry from Macpublishing.net for some new blood to be injected into APPLs BOD.
Mr. Belanger is named as one possibility, but what is more interesting are the OTHER choices that were recommended and the company this guy is keeping:
bondiboard.macpublishing.net
The Needed Changing of the Bored
Apple Needs Directors who Live and Breathe Personal Computing
By Adrian Mello
Apple's currentboard of directors has to go. This lackluster group hasn't helped Apple, and there is no reason to believe it could even if it wanted to. During this time of trouble Apple needs an activist board that can help the company solve its problems. I'm sorry, but current board members' companies such as Hughes Electronics, Broadview Associates, W.H. Brady, National Public Radio, and Du Pont just aren't names that come to mind when I think of shaping the direction of the personal computer industry.
Apple's board could also provide a venue for rallying industry support. Many key companies have a vested interest in Apple's success. The Macintosh OS provides the only remaining alternative to Microsoft's stranglehold on operating systems. It's impossible to imagine that prominent companies are comfortable with being so reliant on the direction set by Microsoft.
Apple would profit from a complete housecleaning of the board. All my candidates are part of the personal computer industry and understand the complex idiosyncrasies of the market. All have key partnerships with Apple, or should have. Like a true dream team, on their worst day my candidates would outperform the existing board.
John Warnock
Adobe has been a key partner with Apple since PostScript, PageMaker, and the Apple LaserWriter were introduced, making desktop publishing possible. Adobe has expanded and thrived in al-most every major category of content creation, from image editing to Web authoring. Adobe's chief executive officer, John Warnock, also has an excellent understanding of the system-software business model because that's the way Adobe's PostScript business works.
Bud Colligan
Macromedia chairman Bud Colligan has seen Apple from both inside and out. For years he worked at Apple and now he runs a software company dependent on the Mac. This experience is a valuable asset for a board candidate who can appreciate the nature of Apple's culture but who also knows the reality of the personal computer marketplace. Macromedia is also a key provider in the content-creation arena; and it is driving multimedia onto the Internet with Shockwave.
Joel Kocher
Joel Kocher, president of Power Computing, is the best and most experienced marketer who has sold both Macs and PCs. Having served at Dell, Kocher understands what it takes to run a computer company and succeed against aggressive competitors. You could argue that his current company, Power Computing, is one of Apple's competitors so it would be inappropriate for him to work with Apple. But you could also argue that Kocher knows that without Apple there would be no OS for Power Computing to sell its Macs.
Jim Barksdale
If there is another major company that knows what it is like to be a stellar innovator that finds itself in Microsoft's sights, it's Netscape. Apple and Netscape need to find ways to help each other succeed. Netscape's CEO, Jim Barksdale, also understands the topsy-turvy world of Internet software distribution and marketing, where a smaller, faster company can outpace a bigger, slower company in building market share.
Heidi Roizen
As head of Apple Developer Relations, Heidi Roizen did a great job last year, making sure the perspective of developers supporting Apple was heard at the highest levels in the company. Roizen is a savvy veteran of the personal computer business whose candor, spirit, and credibility would provide the kind of freshness Apple's board desperately needs.
Eric Schmidt
A rousing public speaker and one of the reasons for Sun Microsystems' success with Java, CEO Eric Schmidt is trying to rebuild Novell, one of the last companies targeted and hit by a Microsoft cruise missile (NT). Schmidt understands the Internet and the general networking arena, and he also knows what it takes to run a successful computer maker that has only a small percentage of the market.
Steve Jobs
What can I say? In his brief appearances on Apple's behalf since the Next acquisition, Steve Jobs has created excitement and hope in the beleaguered Apple camp. Jobs is the best public speaker I have ever seen, and he could help invigorate the company and its customers. Jobs has stated that he doesn't want to run Apple or take the kind of operational role that would prevent him from focusing on Pixar. But serving on the board would provide him an official role without the need to get involved in operations.
Larry Zulch
There would be no Mac today if not for companies like Dantz Development, which has provided top-notch backup software since the mid-1980s. Dantz CEO Larry Zulch is one of the smartest people I know. He has an insider's understanding of Apple and would do a great job representing the wisdom found in so many small to medium-size developers.
Jean Belanger or Greg Galanos
Metrowerks is another small developer with a remarkable track record. This company saved Apple's bacon with CodeWarrior, the compiler that provided the missing piece of the puzzle during the Mac's amazing transition to PowerPC. Either CEO Jean Belanger or president Greg Galanos would provide Apple's board with a great reality check for Apple's OS strategy.
Andy Grove
Every board needs a black sheep, one who shakes things up and doesn't let the other board members get too comfortable. Intel's chairman, Andy Grove, would challenge some assumptions. As a rule, the second-biggest dog in the pack resents the biggest dog. The only company in the personal computer industry more powerful than Intel is Microsoft. That could be a valuable asset to Apple. Grove's presence could also help support Rhapsody's position as a hardware-agnostic OS.
Bill Gates
Having Microsoft chairman Bill Gates on Apple's board of directors could instantly legitimize Apple's situation and help redefine the company, from hopeless Microsoft competitor to a contender with a unique role to play in the market. Gates could help Apple find that role based on his indisputable technology-business acumen and understanding of what it means to run an operating-system company. I seriously doubt whether Apple is in Microsoft's sights at this point–it has bigger fish to fry. Maybe a board seat for Gates would move the two companies beyond the detente that exists today. The big downside is that putting Gates on the board would undermine the value of having Microsoft as a common enemy–a great source of motivation for disparate companies and personalities on Apple's new board.
A New Board, Now
It's likely that even if chosen, some of those on my dream team might decline to serve. I can think of many other individuals and companies that would vastly improve Apple's board, but I limited my list because there are at most nine positions. One obvious omission is a representative from Motorola or IBM, the companies that design and build the PowerPC chips and that can also license the Mac OS to other companies. Apple can't afford to squander this resource. Unfortunately, there aren't many shareholders large enough to effect this kind of shakeup. Those shareholders that remain had better find a way to get to it. Soon |
