Apple saw the potential in the online storage service Dropbox back in 2009 and even tried to swing a deal to buy the company. The founders, Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi, weren’t interested in selling, however, even with Steve Jobs pitching the deal.
During a meeting where Mr. Jobs tried to convince the Dropbox founders to sell, Mr. Houston said they weren’t interested in selling, according to Forbes. Mr. Jobs replied by saying Apple was going after Dropbox’s market and that they “were a feature, not a product.”
With no chance of a deal, Apple proceded on its own and eventually announced iCloud. During the iCloud unveiling, Mr. Jobs knocked online storage services — naming Dropbox specifically — leaving Mr. Houston to respond by saying “Oh, shit.”
Had Mr. Jobs been able to sway Dropbox’s leaders into selling the company, Apple’s online storage offerings would probably look very different today. And the question so many people have asked, “Why doesn’t Apple just buy Dropbox,” finally has an answer.