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Jeremy Waite, profile picture
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"The World's Most Valuable Whiteboard Session" by Steve Jobs

In 1997, Apple was on the brink of bankruptcy under CEO Gil Amelio, but a pivotal whiteboard session led by Steve Jobs changed the company's trajectory. Jobs identified the need to simplify product lines, which eventually contributed to the successful launch of the iPhone in 2007 and transformed Apple into the world's largest brand valued at over $98.3 billion. This drastic shift in management and vision helped Apple recover and innovate, culminating in the sale of over 300 million iPhones.

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How Did One Whiteboard Session Create The World’s Largest Company? By @JeremyWaite
1996   •  Apple  was  on  the   verge  of   bankruptcy   •  Gil  Amelio  was   CEO   •  Apple  was   licensing  it’s  OS   •  They  were   constantly  adding   new  product  lines  
Apple  Board  Discussion   June  1997  
Apple  Board  Discussion   June  1997     a)  If  we  keep  Gill  as  CEO   there’s  a  10%  chance   we’ll  avoid  bankruptcy  
Apple  Board  Discussion   June  1997     a)  If  we  keep  Gill  as  CEO   there’s  a  10%  chance   we’ll  avoid  bankruptcy   b)  If  we  fire  Gil  and  Steve   comes  back,  we  have  a   60%  chance  of  survival  
Apple  Board  Discussion   June  1997     a)  If  we  keep  Gill  as  CEO   there’s  a  10%  chance   we’ll  avoid  bankruptcy   b)  If  we  fire  Gil  and  Steve   comes  back,  we  have  a   60%  chance  of  survival   c)  If  we  fire  Gil  and  Steve   doesn’t  come  back,  we   have  a  40%  chance  of   survival  
1997     Steve  agrees  to   return  to  Apple   as  an  adviser  to   the  board  unDl   they  find  a  new   CEO  
Apple  were  due  to  ship  1  million   StyleWriter  printers  in  1997  
Apple  were  due  to  ship  1  million   StyleWriter  printers  in  1997…   …  but  they  didn’t  expect  to   make  any  money  from  them.  
The  Newton  was  a   good  device…      With  a  stylus…     Using  hand-­‐wriDng   technology  that     almost  worked…    
The  Newton  was  a   good  device…      With  a  stylus…     Using  hand-­‐wriDng   technology  that     almost  worked…      But  no-­‐one    bought  one!    
By  the  early  1990’s  Apple  product  lines  exploded  
The first thing Steve did was conduct a product review to try to find out why the company wasn’t working.
•  By  1996  Apple  had  too  many  products   •  Nobody  understood  the  difference  between  them   •  The  world’s  most  emoJonal  brand  wasn’t  emoJonal   •  “No  magic”  -­‐  even  the  product  names  were  numbers   “The products suck… There’s no SEX in them anymore”.        Steve  Jobs  ~  July  1997  
In  the  middle  of  the  product  review   meeDng,  Steve  told  everyone  to  stop  and   started  to  explain  his  vision  of  the  future.     He  drew  two  lines  on  the  whiteboard  and   said,                              “this is all we need”...  
Consumer Pro Desktop Portable
Consumer Pro Desktop Portable
Consumer Pro Desktop Portable
Consumer Pro Desktop Portable
Consumer Pro Desktop Portable
Consumer Pro Desktop Portable
Before  Steve  
AWer  Steve  
Apple  almost  declared  bankruptcy  in  1996.    
*  According  to  Interbrand  100  Report  2013   Apple  almost  declared  bankruptcy  in  1996.     They  are  now  the  World’s  largest  brand  -­‐   Valued  at  over  $98.3bn.    
“My  gut  was  that   Apple  had  some   really  good   technology,   but  it  was  fucked   up  by   mismanagement”.     Steve  Jobs  1997      
“By  shu]ng  down   the  Newton,  I  freed   up  some  good   engineers  who   could  work  on  new   mobile  devices”.       Those  engineers  soon   started  work  on   “Project  Purple”…  
Project  Purple  
On  January  9th,  2007   Steve  announced  the   launch  of  the  iPhone.  
On  January  9th,  2007   Steve  announced  the   launch  of  the  iPhone.   Stylus  not  included  
Apple  have  now  sold  over  300m  iPhones  
Apple  have  now  sold  over  300m  iPhones   ...  and  there  are  now  more  mobile   phones  in  the  world  than   tooth  brushes.  
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