September 9th, 1999

[4:30 PM]
Steve Jobs Joins Board Of Directors For The Gap
MacCentral is reporting that Steve Jobs, iCEO of Apple, has joined the Board of Directors for Gap, Inc. Read their report for more of the announcement.

The Mac Observer Spin: This is certainly an interesting development. This marks the first outside Board that Mr. Jobs has joined. Observers will remember that Gap, Inc.'s President and CEO, Millard Drexler, was the most recent addition to Apple's own Board of Directors in May. While it is possible that this is a simple mutual back scratching session, we think it is more likely that this move reflects the changing nature of Mr. Jobs himself. Mr. Jobs has not only matured since his early days at Apple, he has also proven himself to be more in touch with what the public wants than any other leader in the technology market. While Apple obviously felt that Mr. Drexler's own marketing expertise would be of value to the computer firm, The Gap seems to think that Mr. Jobs can help their own efforts.

The real question is where the heck Mr. Jobs will find the time to serve. Already filling the dual roles of CEO of Pixar, and iCEO of Apple, the appointment to The Gap's Board could be largely symbolic.

In any event, this is great exposure for Apple as it leads further credibility to both Apple itself and Mr. Jobs as a leader. It is a certainty that many Corporate execs will notice this move. That in turn could possibly have at least a slight impact on Apple's presence in the corporate market. That might be a stretch, but every little think helps.

The Gap - Apple