Microsoft has faced a similar change with the departure of Bill Gates and his replacement by Steve Ballmer. That changeover, which took place over the past 10 years, occurred at the same time as Microsoft’s influence waned. It’s due in part to the rise of the Web and the decline in Microsoft’s model — but also partly the result of the company losing a talismanic leader.
The danger for Apple is even greater. Its early, and enormous, advantage in music, entertainment and the high-end mobile phone industry could be dissipated by Jobs’ enforced absence. And that is something that the company — whoever is running it — can’t afford.
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