Technology Focus
Steve Jobs, Apple and the $5 Billion Campus Controversy BY Simon Carter
“We have a shot at building the best office building in the world. I really do think that architecture students will come here to see it.” Those were the words of the late Steve Jobs at his last ever public appearance, back in June 2011. He was talking about his vision for Apple’s new $5bn headquarters; his legacy. But in the two years since Jobs faced Cupertino City Council, the project has run into delays, debates and angered shareholders. The campus was also to be beautiful, built in a doughnut shape and housed completely in curved glass. In short, the campus was to be an iPad you could work in.
Four months before he died, Apple’s charismatic leader stood and unveiled his plans for a utopian hub to house his company’s operations. The so-called Apple Campus 2 would host 6,000 employees and boast as many features as its flagship products: features such as a fitness centre, underground parking, and 700,000 square feet of solar panels.
66 | www.financial-spread-betting.com | May 2013
Jobs, of course, passed away before the final plans for the campus could be submitted, but there is little sign that Apple are looking to reign in some of Jobs’ more outrageous ideas (more of which later). For one thing, Apple needs space — even after Campus 2 is completed, they will still maintain their main headquarters housed on Infinite Loop, not far from the new building — and for another, they certainly have the money to make it happen. Ah, money. It’s been well documented that Apple enjoy a cash pile. At the time of writing, the mountain of cash underneath the lifestyle heavyweights stands at around $137bn, with the cost of Campus 2 being little more than a moderate splash in the ocean.