Whichever way you look at it, Apple’s assumption this week of the title of World’s Most Valuable Company is a milestone in what has become the business story of our age. Fourteen years ago, strapped for cash and with faith in his company at rock bottom, Steve Jobs was forced to go cap in hand to arch-enemy Microsoft for a $150m investment (let it be noted for the record that it was the managers reigning at the company after Mr Jobs’ earlier, forced exit who had brought things to this point).
蘋果(Apple)鑄就了我們這個時代的商業神話。近日,該公司斬獲「全球最有價值的公司」頭銜。無論從哪個角度來看,這件事在該公司的發展史上都具有里程碑式的意義。14年前,蘋果現金喫緊,人們對該公司的信心也處於谷底,史蒂夫•喬布斯(Steve Jobs)被迫低頭請求頭號敵人微軟(Microsoft)施以援手、向蘋果注資1.5億美元(注意:正是早先趕走喬布斯、當時掌管蘋果的那些經理人,導致蘋果陷入如此窘境)。