Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, who was a close friend of Steve Jobs, hinted that Apple may have a bleak future without Jobs in an interview with CBS News' Charlie Rose (via AllThingsD) where he was asked how he thought the company would do without its co-founder.

"Well, we already know," Ellison told Rose. "We saw — we conducted the experiment. I mean, it's been done. We saw Apple with Steve Jobs. We saw Apple without Steve Jobs. We saw Apple with Steve Jobs. Now, we're gonna see Apple without Steve Jobs."

Ellison seems to be referring to when Jobs was ousted by the Apple board in 1985, causing the company to struggle. Jobs returned in 1997 and rebuilt the company, streamlining product lines and introducing successful new offerings like the iPod, iPhone, and iPad.

YouTube video via The Verge

In addition to being friends with Jobs, Larry Ellison was an Apple Director until he stepped down from the board in 2002, affording him a look at the inner workings of Apple. He also publicly hinted at buying the company when it was struggling in 1997.

The full interview is set to appear on "CBS This Morning" on Tuesday morning.

Top Rated Comments

haruhiko Avatar
haruhiko
145 months ago
Yup it's happening. Just look at the state of iOS 7 and the cheap plastic rumoured iPhones. Steve Jobs would have never allowed this.

Steve Jobs released cheap plastic iPods, cheap plastic MacBooks.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
griffd Avatar
griffd
145 months ago
Larry Ellison is a clueless arrogant prick. That is the number 1 reason i left Oracle - i was sick of making him rich while our bonuses were cut every year. Take his prediction with a grain of salt. He is clueless. I don't know what Steve saw in him. I think he just liked competing with him.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
collinmac Avatar
collinmac
145 months ago
Funny, Ellison steps down from the board in 2002, right around the time that Apple's second coming started in earnest.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Vanilla35 Avatar
Vanilla35
145 months ago
Unfortunately it's true. It's not just Steve's impact, but the entire concept of drive for the company. Everything they do is so interdependent on their overall theme of delivering a good product, while using the bare minimum hardware. That's such a delicate method, that if they fail to do that correctly, they will lose all hope. And of course Jony Ive taking over iOS and sh***ing all over the design doesn't help things. He got rid of what everyone loved about iOS, and now even though it looks more modern, it is a cluster fk of white, and the device is harder to use, and takes more time. It's not just getting used to things, it just isn't as intuitive. You can't even tell what half of the icons are while in apps anymore because they're just blank icons with white outlines.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
impulse462 Avatar
impulse462
145 months ago
Completely different situation. Back then the people who fired Jobs hated his guts.

This time, Jobs trusted most (if not all) the people on the exec team.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JAT Avatar
JAT
145 months ago
Cue the Apple fans in denial. :p

Thank you! I completely agree and it seems that nobody around here can this through their heads.

Completely agree, people around here are like "Tim's just as good!" And then there they're like "Why the hell is the stock value going down? Apple's doing just fine!" They can't accept the fact that Apple isn't the same.
You may not know this, but both membership and visitation to this site is 100% voluntary.
Score: 14 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments

Popular Stories

Generic iOS 18 Feature Real Mock

iOS 18 Available Today With These 8 New Features For Your iPhone

Sunday September 15, 2024 10:09 am PDT by
Following over three months of beta testing, iOS 18 will finally be widely released to the public this Monday, September 16. The update should be available to install starting at around 10 a.m. Pacific Time (1 p.m. Eastern Time) in the Settings app under General → Software Update on the iPhone XS and newer. Below, we have highlighted eight key new features included in iOS 18, and Apple...
Read Full Article • 116 comments
iOS 18 Public Beta Thumb 1

Here's When iOS 18 Rolls Out Today in Every Time Zone

Monday September 16, 2024 3:56 am PDT by
It's that time of year again. Apple is about to release iOS 18, which promises to bring a range of new features and improvements to iPhones worldwide. It's Apple's biggest software update of the year, and the company is expected to release it sometime today – Monday, September 16. Based on past releases, the update is likely to drop at around 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time/1:00 p.m. Eastern...
Read Full Article • 139 comments
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue Face ID Single Camera Hole

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 17

Friday September 13, 2024 2:40 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we sometimes get rumored feature leaks so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different – already we have some idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you plan to skip...
Read Full Article • 292 comments
apple silicon mac lineup wwdc 2022 feature purple

M4 Macs, New iPad Mini, and iPad 11 Expected at Upcoming Apple Event

Sunday September 15, 2024 5:29 am PDT by
Apple will likely hold another event in October this year to announce new Macs and iPads. If so, it would be the fourth time in the last five years that Apple has held an event in October. Last year, Apple held a virtual event on Monday, October 30 to announce new MacBook Pro and iMac models with the M3 series of chips. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reiterated...
Read Full Article • 130 comments
16 pro

iPhone 16 Pro Demand Has Been Lower Than Expected, Analyst Says

Sunday September 15, 2024 3:58 pm PDT by
Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo today said demand for the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max has been "lower than expected" since the devices became available to pre-order in the U.S. and dozens of other countries on Friday. Kuo said his data is based on a "supply chain survey" and shipping estimates listed on Apple's online store. Kuo estimated that sales of all four iPhone 16 models reached...
Read Full Article • 571 comments
iphone 16 pro apple intelligence

Apple Intelligence Features Expected to Roll Out in This Order Between iOS 18.1 and iOS 18.4

Friday September 13, 2024 1:01 pm PDT by
iOS 18 will be released to the public on Monday, but the first Apple Intelligence features will not be available until iOS 18.1 is released in October. Apple Intelligence features will continue to roll out in iOS 18.2 and beyond, with the expected roadmap outlined below per Apple's website and rumors. Apple Intelligence requires an iPhone 15 Pro model or any iPhone 16 model, and it will...
Read Full Article • 224 comments