interesting article adam penenberg:
apple should more pay off stockholders dividend. should take opportunity redefine means corporation.
it's hard imagine how big billion is. try $97.6 billion (call $100 billion), wad of cash apple has squirreled away. 1 hundred billion one-dollar bills weigh 200 million pounds (or 100,000 tons, give or take) , if laid them end-to-end they'd circle earth 40 times @ widest point, equator. layer 1 bill on top of other , build tower 6.8 miles (36,000 feet) air, high enough obstruct air traffic. convert apple's cash stash giant stack of pennies , reach moon. twice. company sprouted modestly steve jobs' garage on april fool's day 36 years ago has enough cash on hand pay off total public debt of 8 european union countries. buy facebook outright, or spring 33 billion starbucks tall cappuccinos or 100 billion packs of skittles.
that's cash. apple's market capitalization is, write this, $566 billion, bigger entire u.s. retail sector, , predict apple become first trillion-dollar company. it's worth more ford, gm, boeing, , general electric combined, twice size of microsoft, , equal 2 walmarts, 5 amazons, or 10 ebays. half-a-trillion-dollar market cap place 25th in world in gross domestic product between thailand + south africa (not exact comparison, drift). meanwhile, apple gets richer, reporting revenue of $46.33 billion , net profit of $13.06 billion in last quarter.
disappointed apple's big announcement earlier week turned out involve dividends stockholders. company had issued press release on sunday, gave impression ceo tim cook planned earth-shattering announcement. instead hear news stockholder love. happened company once lionized "the crazy ones," "the misfits," "the rebels," "the troublemakers," "the round pegs in square holes," "the ones see things differently," , "push human race forward"?
apple richest company in world, has historic opportunity redefine role corporation can play, , if apple leads others follow. when steve jobs recruited pepsi president john scully jump apple, asked, "do want sell sugared water rest of life? or want come me , change world?" jobs gone, i'm throwing down similar challenge tim cook , apple's board: "do want sell entertainment devices rest of collective lives? or takes real courage , make world better place?"
here's how propose apple spend of billions , invest in collective good:
education
ipad apple boasts "the device changed changing classroom." if apple serious changing education should invest in classroom of future. company work top educators create learning environment not improve efficiency of education, tap imaginations of our nation's school children. in other words, education apple store has done retail.
training
in walter isaacson's biography of steve jobs, jobs says told president obama apple relocate more manufacturing plants china u.s. if company hire additional 30,000 american engineers. not have phds mit or carnegie mellon. needed basic engineering skills manufacturing, learned @ community colleges or trade schools. apple could--and should--fund programs across country train these engineers. provide grants these trade schools , community colleges , offer free tuition incentive.
foreign factories
steve jobs believed apple's success ultimate depended on controlling entire ecosystem hardware , software worked seamlessly together. yet tightfisted control hasn't extended supply chain management. "we've known labor abuses in factories 4 years, , they're still going on," former apple executive told new york times. "why? because system works us. suppliers change tomorrow if apple told them didn't have choice." apple should apply same ironfisted control exerts on design process working conditions overseas. this, admittedly, taller order, factories not owned , operated apple. there has been speculation lately bringing production u.s. not crush company's bottom line, issue complicated, times has illuminated in recent series.
far-out fantasies
nicholas thompson, editor of new yorker.com, served suggestion on twitter: "personally, wish apple decided use cash on futuristic r&d---like old xerox model." apple create modern equivalent bell labs , let great minds working in tandem conceive of greater inventions, kind dazzle mind , nourish human spirit. realize "the minute understand can poke life ... can change it, can mold ... that's maybe important thing."
yep, that's steve jobs. here's hoping apple grows change world beyond selling mere electronics, embraces new kind of corporate heroism @ time when use heroes.
i'd propose should let apple spend cash (or not) way they see fit. seem doing fine job @ managing money far. there's no need others stick noses in.
jas
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