05/27/96 AT APPLE, A DEMOCRACY OF ONE

AT APPLE, A DEMOCRACY OF ONE

CEO GILBERT AMELIO IS attacking the core of Apple Computer's culture: a notorious overdevotion to consensus. (A favorite Apple inside joke: ``A vote can be 14,000 to 1 and it's still a tie.'') Amelio's more autocratic approach was evident at his May 13 presentation to software developers.
Very few top Apple managers were prebriefed on Amelio's announcements at the crowded meeting. A joint project with IBM to manufacture and market a new subnotebook came as news to one laptop executive. A top publicrelations staffer had not heard a peep about a limited-edition 20th anniversary Apple computer rolling out later this year. Amelio's plan to sell a Pippin set-top box in the U.S. under Apple's own brand surprised one marketing executive. Moreover, some top brass claimed they were clueless as to whom Amelio will tap to run the six newly created internal divisions identified in his speech.
One implication is that more Apple higher-ups may be going their own way. Even Amelio admits that he still is not content with the management team. ``We don't have the depth we need...pretty much across the board,'' he told BUSINESS WEEK.
EDITED BY LISA SANDERS Peter Burrows