A new book by New York Times labor reporter Noam Scheiber argues that Apple's decade-long erosion of its retail workforce directly contributed to the disappointing launch of the Apple Vision Pro in early 2024 (via WIRED).
Scheiber traces the deterioration to the transition from Steve Jobs to Tim Cook. Jobs built Apple retail around a permanently employed, generously compensated workforce, on the theory that any worker who felt second-class would make customers feel the same way. Under Cook, that model was progressively unwound: contractor numbers grew, training shifted from multi-week instructor-led programs to brief self-guided modules, and leadership rotated toward cost control.
You don’t say.
It’s also a ridiculously complex demo. I don’t think Jobs would have released it. Even the watch didn’t need a 25 min script; if it’s not obvious after an elevator pitch, I don’t think there’s a mass market retail product fit.
You don’t say.
It’s also a ridiculously complex demo. I don’t think Jobs would have released it. Even the watch didn’t need a 25 min script; if it’s not obvious after an elevator pitch, I don’t think there’s a mass market retail product fit.