March 27, 1998: Board Member Admits Apple Wants Steve to Stay

When Steve Jobs was first named the "interim" CEO of Apple in 1997 few people expected Steve to stay in the position. Although Steve's public pronouncements along with Apple's search for a "real" CEO bolstered the notion that both Steve and the board of directors saw the situation as a temporary fix, other events made people wonder.

No event more loudly spoke to Steve Jobs's inordinate power as iCEO than the shakeup of the board of directors. Gone were the people seen as unfriendly to His Steveness and installed in their place were solid Steve Jobs supporters. Apple's success since Steve Jobs took the helm likely enabled the changes and the new board members wanted more of the Steve Jobs magic.

As expected in the corporate world, the board's goals went largely unstated publicly and the "search" for the real killer, er, next Apple CEO continued. People finally got a little bit of honesty and a glimpse into Apple's future when board member Edgar Wollard said the following:

"He is the CEO, whether we call him interim or not interim is a non-issue with us. We hope he will stay a long time."

That Apple board member enunciated what everyone was already thinking on March 27, 1998.