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by thewebguyd 156 days ago
Job's thermonuclear threats were about Android & Google, not Samsung because Schmidt was on Apple's board during the development of Android.

> "I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple’s $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong. I’m going to destroy Android, because it’s a stolen product. I’m willing to go thermonuclear war on this."

The falling out with Samsung was related, but more about the physical look of the phone
2 comments
wtetzner 156 days ago
> because it’s a stolen product

This is funny coming from Jobs.

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asciii 156 days ago
> good artists copy great artists steal - pablo picasso

- steve jobs

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scyzoryk_xyz 155 days ago
Oh shit I didn't know he was on the board, I thought the story was just that they decided to be a competitor.

So, Schmidt had inside knowledge of before following Apple into the smartphone category? That makes the vengeful fury less unhinged.

Sounds like those $40b did not end up running out.

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thewebguyd 152 days ago
> So, Schmidt had inside knowledge of before following Apple into the smartphone category?

That's the theory/assumption. Android started as an OS for blackberry-style phones with physical keyboard, non touch screens.

Almost as soon as the iPhone launch, Schmidt left the board, and Android pivoted to a multi-touch interface almost immediately, and a year later the HTC Dream came out.

I don't think anyone has any real proof of wrongdoing but the timing is certainly suspicious

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