Brunner quit Apple in the middle of it, tired of nonstop meetings and eager to return to consulting. Before departing, he encouraged his boss, Howard Lee, the head of computer hardware, to promote Ive to design director. Lee wanted to conduct a worldwide search, but Brunner warned him, “You’re going to lose the team.” Apple was in no position to recruit an outsider. Under Spindler, its troubled business worsened. It underforecast demand, had to recall a laptop model that had burst into flames, and laid off 16 percent of the staff to control the runaway costs. The CEO was eventually ousted and
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