Does Steve Jobs Really Hate the Press This Much?

Seriously, what could possibly be on Steve's mind?

Think about the process that would go on--or certainly ought to go on--before a company gets the police to search a journalist's house. Consider what there is to gain and what there is to lose. The gain, I suppose, would have to be, in the case of the Gizmodo warrant and search, industrial secrets so valuable that they'd be worth taking a course of action that could easily snowball into a permanent stain on your brand.

Now, it's hard to imagine that Apple had secrets so valuable it would be willing to risk becoming the "kicking in your door company"--indeed, was there anything more that was secret after Gizmodo pulled apart the phone?

So, therefore, Steve is either arrogant enough to believe that there's little chance of a snowball effect (and is willing to risk his shareholders' dough on that bet), or has been made crazy enough--a fury that's built up over decades now--by disrespectful reporters to just get really mean.

His lack of cogent and sensible advice about the press is pretty obvious, too. Everybody who writes about the technology business has dealt with Steve's PR aide, Katie Cotton, who is quite an amazing example of a Stepford executive. All of Apple's executives are famous for their submissive nature when it comes to the boss and how he wants his public image handled. Apple's legal, PR, and compliance departments were not strong enough, for instance, to challenge Steve on his decision to mislead investors about his health.

Continue reading newser.com