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Apple CEO Steve Jobs took to his company’s quarterly earnings call on Oct. 18 to heap invective on RIM, tablets and Google. But it was his comments on Google’s Android platform that proved to be the most striking. And in some ways, the Apple CEO that many look to as one of the top executives in the world, showed just how little respect he has for the search giant.
Whether Jobs has a right to feel that way toward Google is up for debate. During his tenure at Apple, Jobs has been featured in many more enemy-making headlines than friend-making headlines.
His reputation as a CEO is that of a fierce competitor determined to beat any and all challengers. But he has been unable to beat Google. And that frustration seems to be coming through in almost every comment Jobs has made recently.
Simply put, Steve Jobs can’t stand Google. Read on to find out why.
1. They used to be friends.
Before Apple and Google became enemies, the companies worked closely with each other. In fact, Google CEO Eric Schmidt served on Apple’s board of directors. That relationship was fostered through Apple and Google’s mutual disdain for Microsoft. And together, they seemingly plotted to take the software giant down. But with Android OS, Google and Apple’s relationship fell apart. Now, the search giant is arguably one of Steve Jobs’ most-hated competitors.
2. He dislikes all competitors.
Steve Jobs doesn’t spend much time saying nice things about the competition. In fact, he spends most of his time trying to find ways to take the competition down. That’s a prime reason why he can’t stand Google. It’s not necessarily what Google stands for all the time. It’s simply that Steve Jobs doesn’t like any of his company’s competitors.
3. Android OS is winning.
If there is one thing that Steve Jobs can’t stand, it’s losing. And right now, the Apple CEO is losing. His company’s iOS platform might be selling extremely well, but it’s still being outpaced by the collection of Android devices on the market. For his part, Steve Jobs is in denial about the ultimate impact all those Android devices will really have over time. But it’s hard to argue with the sales figures, and he isn’t happy about them.
4. Google doesn’t act like RIM.
When Apple beat RIM, that company simply rolled over and admitted that it was defeated. In fact, the handset maker has done little to match Apple’s products any step of the way. But Google is different. In the beginning, when the Android OS was being beaten handily by Apple products, the search giant hunkered down and delivered an improved mobile operating system with features that people wanted. The strategy worked. And now, it’s well on its way to beating Apple.
The Apple-Google Competition Grows Ever More Ferocious
5. It’s Microsoft all over again.
If there is one company that Steve Jobs can’t stand, it’s Microsoft. The Windows maker has been a thorn in his side for years and the possibility of beating Ballmer and Company in any market really appeals to him. But now, with Android OS doing so well, Steve Jobs probably believes that he’s facing Microsoft all over again. After all, Windows has long dominated on PC desktops, relegating the Mac OS to a distant second place in the industry. Now Google is trying to follow the same strategy with Android OS in the mobile market. That alone is probably not helping Steve Jobs warm to Google or Android.
6. He lost AdMob.
Losing AdMob was a major defeat for Steve Jobs. At the same time that Google knew that the future of advertising was in the mobile space, Steve Jobs realized it as well. In turn, both companies went after mobile-advertising firm AdMob. But Google eventually won out. Apple was left to pick up the scraps. Now, both companies are competing in the mobile-advertising space. And it’s quite possible that Google has the best position in that space.
7. Google has its sights set on Apple.
Steve Jobs can’t stand Google because he knows that the search giant is targeting his company every step of the way. It did so with Android OS. It did so with mobile advertising. Now it’s trying to beat Apple by offering Adobe’s Flash platform in its mobile Chrome browser to provide an additional benefit over iOS devices. Make no mistake: Such moves annoy Steve Jobs. And they’re only making him angrier.
8. Google took a page out of Apple’s book.
Steve Jobs gets serious about his ideas. So serious in fact, that he will protect them to the end and take offense at those who he believes are copying his ideas. Earlier this year, a New York Times article said that Jobs got into a “heated meeting” at Google headquarters when he learned that Google’s Android team would deliver multitouch functionality. According to the report, Jobs told Google he would sue the company for using the technology. That exchange, if it did happen, probably didn’t help the relationship between Google and Apple all that much.
9. Steve Jobs’ business philosophy differs from Google’s.
Steve Jobs has a unique business philosophy. Rather than deliver run-of-the-mill products to achieve highest profits, Jobs spends his time trying to find unique new ways to put computing power in people’s hands for work and entertainment. That’s how he came up with the iPhone, the iPad, the iPod and countless other products that have proven so successful. But Google doesn’t necessarily follow that path. And Jobs likely views that as a flaw in the company’s direction, which of course makes it all the more annoying to Jobs when he realizes that Android OS sales are outpacing iPhone sales.
10. There is nothing he can do.
Frustration could be one of the main reasons why Steve Jobs takes such issue with Google. After all, he knows that his company is performing well, and yet most of the market believes Android OS will eventually dominate the mobile space. That annoys Jobs-a person who must win at all times-and makes him even angrier toward Google.