On Tuesday in Cupertino, California, Steve Jobs unveiled plans for Apple's new headquarters: a four-story circle of glass big enough to house 13,000 employees. Jobs' presentation provides a glimpse into the visionary that Jobs is. The building has many unique features.
What's most interesting is that it appears that Jobs has a very strong libertarian streak. At one point Jobs shows an overview of the property and notes that at one corner adjacent to the property are some buildings that Apple wanted to buy but Jobs noted were not for sale. I can think of several firms that would have attempted to go to the City Council and take the property via eminent domain "for the good of the people". There is no indication that Jobs attempted this.
Further, it is instructive that City Council members try to shake Jobs down for free Wi-Fi and an Apple Store in Cupertino. He will have none of it. The icy silence he uses to shut off the shakedowns is awesome.
I can't beleive they actually asked the question "What do the residents of Cupertino get?" If that isn't a setup for extortion I don't know what is. I love his answer and God bless him for not allowing them to extort anything more then taxes from Apple.
ReplyDeleteI could not believe her question - "can we get free iPads and Wi-Fi?" Are you freaking serious? Uh, no. If you want that then abate my taxes - if not, then you are already taking enough from me and my company.
ReplyDeleteI was amazed as well at how cavalier the city council members were as they made an attempt at extortion.
ReplyDeleteJeez. People think that any big organization (government included) is just an endless spring of money. There are no free lunches. People are more and more often willing to use political (ie criminal) methods instead of voluntary exchange when seeking their ends.
ReplyDeleteAs if the taxes AAPLE pays isn't enough for them. Dumb bitch.
ReplyDeleteWhat Jobs has done, as an innovator and business man, so far outweighs the silly non-contributions of the City Council members that I'm disturbed and embarrassed watching this.
ReplyDeleteI would hold up on naming Jobs libertarian of the year. He had no problem back dating options to steal from his own share holders.
ReplyDeleteThe question about the cement plant was also an extortion attempt.
ReplyDeleteThe person asking wanted SJ to volunteer to buy and relocate that property
It's no architectural masterpiece, even if it might be technically impressive with the curved glass. I find it hard to believe that any architecture students are going to be flocking to Cupertino as Steve suggested.
ReplyDeleteWow...
ReplyDeleteTalk about an extortion attempt. "...give back to the community..." Apple has paid how much in taxes over the last 30 years, provided how many jobs, drawn the best and brightest to Cupertino and these clowns want more??!?
I give great deal of credit to Mr. Jobs for handling their extortion attempts with grace and diplomacy, but I couldn't have blamed him if he'd simply told them to 'shove off'.
Au contraire. This building is going to be one of the great architectural and engineering challenges of the decade. Apple never does anything half-way, let alone in the way of design. Expect this building to be something for the history books.
ReplyDeleteI'm hoping that the question "what do the residents get out of it"... was just an intentional softball being lobbed his way on purpose (to allow him to offer the obvious information on the numerous benefits to the community).
ReplyDeleteOtherwise... if not... the women is, well... mentally challenged?
In every way, this proposed building is the anti-Pentagon.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about Apple's building. There's no doubt it is going to be impressive and lovely. It's weird, though, that at a time when the rest of the world is decentralizing, Apple is making one of the largest single office buildings to house 12-13K employees.
ReplyDelete(I'm an Apple fan, BTW, and used to even program on NeXT computers from late 1989 thru about 2000).
I notice the home inspector critiquing the architecture. That's almost as funny as the idiot councilwoman asking for "free" stuff.
ReplyDeleteOne thing rarely mentioned is that Apple is the unusual manufacturing company that has become huge without gaining substantial revenue as a government contractor. It is the anti-GE.
ReplyDeleteJobs mentions they will produce their own power and use municipal power as backup. He also mentions that Apple provides their own bus service for employees. Jobs probably has experienced costly and unreliable government service so he decides to do it himself. And to believe the city council has the nerve to ask him for free stuff.
ReplyDeleteI get so many useful takeaways from this site. I can't go long without evidence of sanity like that represented in the comments above.
ReplyDeleteThese "council" that spoke are sick in my opinion. They are the same twisted dark minds as in DC just playing at a $5.00 table. Yet, witness what Jobs did: He gave perhaps millions of people a freak show peak. That''s got real upside potential, emphasis potential.
Rehab's useless. It's going to take a hard reboot to flush this out. What does that process look like? County by county, state by state - how the hell?
Those are some pretty fucking illiterate "coucil members." Reminds me of every other "city council" in the USSA. Oh well. Steve Jobs PWNED! them.
ReplyDelete