Apple Computer Inc. was founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs and two close colleagues. However, in 1985, after a major bust-up with the then CEO: Strategic Management Assignment, DCU, Ireland

Apple Computer Inc. was founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs and two close colleagues. However, in 1985, after a major bust-up with the then CEO, Jobs left the company he had founded and started a new venture. In the next decade, Apple went through many changes searching for success, and eventually decided to acquire NeXT Inc. in 1997 thus bringing Steve Jobs back into Apple.

Within months, the board of Apple replaced the CEO and reinstated Jobs to the position he had held in the early days of Apple. In 1997, when Steve Jobs returned to the company, few would have thought that the failing, niche Apple Computers would one day be recognized as one of the most innovative companies in the world, transcending the barriers of the computer industry to compete in the consumer electronics, telecommunications, and music industries.

Since 1997 Apple’s market capitalization increased from $2bn to $741.8 billion in 2015? becoming the world’s most valuable company? By 2015, Apple was first by almost any measure, including the largest sales, profits, and assets among the world’s technology companies? On top of this, Apple was the world’s most valuable brand according to Interbrand’s 2015 report for the third year in a row, after pushing Coca-Cola off the top in 2013.

Building on innovative products that have redefined their markets, a consumer base as loyal as a fan club, and a business model characterized by integration and synergies that no competitor could easily imitate, Apple continued its extraordinary performance.