December 4, 1997: Iacocca Not Replacing Amelio

The Apple CEO hunt was dragging on, and on, and on. Many candidates had been considered but none of them were just right, er, Steve Jobs. As the vacancy lingered, rumors began to grow sillier.

Perhaps the zenith of the silly gossip was the one that said Lee Iacocca of Chrysler turnaround and minivan fame had been meeting with Apple and was all set to take the reins of the company.

As ridiculous as the rumors were, they gained traction on the internet to such an extent that Jerry York, Apple Board member and friend of Lee Iacocca, was asked about said snippets of speculation. Jerry York dispelled the rumors saying, "Nothing could be further from the truth" on December 4, 1997.