Online Public Relations Thoughts

The long-term reputation of a company rests partly on a succession plan for its CEO. That is, no CEO should be so important to the life of a business that it collapses without him. That is why this report is disturbing. Some day, Steve Jobs will leave Apple. What then? He doesn't seem to be worried about it at the moment. From a PR perspective, this story is not a winner. It seeks to assure investors and customers that Jobs is in control and making key decisions. It would have been better had the story been the opposite. Apple would then be seen as a mature company ready to move on with a different CEO, if necessary.