Not Steve Jobs Or Tim Cook, Here's The Story Of Apple's First CEO Michael Scott

Steve Jobs is a name that has been, and will always be associated with tech giant Apple.

Being the co-founder and one of the main brains behind the rise of Apple over the decades, Steve Jobs is probably the first name that comes to mind when most people think of Apple＊s history. And quite naturally, many of us might also think that it was he who must have been the first CEO of Apple too, right? Well, surprisingly that is untrue.

If Not Steve Jobs, Then Who Was The First CEO Of Apple?

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It was Michael Scott.

Born on February 11, 1945, Michael "Scotty" Scott is an American entrepreneur, who was the first CEO of Apple from February 1977 to March 1981. Apple was founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne.

Also Read: How A Lost iPhone Led To Warren Buffett Investing Billions In Apple

Early Years

After graduating from the California Institute of Technology, Scott worked at Fairchild Semiconductor where he shared a cubicle with Mike Markkula and Gene Carter.

Michael Scott, also known as Mike Scott, was a friend of Mike Markkula (who later became Apple CEO), who convinced him to become Apple's first CEO in 1977. Michael Scott is said to have been instrumental in the company's exponential growth in its first years, bringing with him valuable management experience.

Attempting to set an example for all businesses, in 1979, Scott declared there would be no typewriters at Apple. In 1979 and 1980, Jef Raskin's Macintosh project was a four-person research effort. It wasn't considered important within Apple and was almost cancelled a couple of times. When Apple had another major reorganization in the fall of 1980, it was terminated again, but Raskin pleaded with Scott and Markkula for more time and was granted three more months to show that he was really onto something.

The Black Wednesday That Began The End Of Scott At Apple

On February 25, 1981, the day known as "Black Wednesday" at Apple, CEO Michael Scott personally fired around forty Apple employees in the belief that they were redundant. Later in the afternoon he assembled the remaining employees and explained the firings by stating, "I used to say that when being CEO at Apple wasn't fun anymore, I'd quit. But now I've changed my mind 〞 when it isn't fun any more, I'll fire people until it's fun again."

Following this abrupt event, he was moved to vice chairman, a title with little power, and Mike Markkula, the man who had hired Scott, replaced him as Apple CEO.

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Mike Markkula was lured out of retirement by Steve Jobs who had convinced him that there was an exciting market for personal computers. Steve Jobs managed to convince Mike and brought him into Apple. After Scott's fall, it was fitting for Markkula to take over the role of CEO. After a two-year interim as CEO, Mike stayed on Apple's board of directors until 1997. From 1997-2011, Steve Jobs served as Apple's CEO.

Also Read: Apple Earns Nearly Rs 1.5 Lakh Profit Every Second, Says Research

Michal Scott＊s Resignation

Michael Scott went on to leave Apple officially on July 10, 1981, stating in his resignation letter:

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※So I am having a new learning experience, something I've never done before. I quit, not resign to join a new company or retire for personal reasons ... This is not done for those who fear my opinions and style, but for the loyal ones who may be given false hope. Yours. Michael, Private Citizen§

List Of People Who Have Been CEO Of Apple

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Here's a list of seven people who have held the position of Apple's CEO in the tech giant's history.

1.Michael Scott (1977每1981)

2.Mike Markkula (1981每1983)

3.John Sculley (1983每1993)

4.Michael Spindler (1993每1996)

5.Gil Amelio (1996每1997)

6.Steve Jobs (1997-2011)

7.Tim Cook (2011-Present)

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