The First Strikes Against Short-Termism

Dec 5 2018

By Kevin Cashman and Jamen Graves.  Originally posted on Korn Ferry Institute on December 5, 2018. 

A message to Wall Street is starting to get out that at least one big firm will be trying to focus more on long-term goals and success rather than short-term quarterly gains. But the question remains: Will investors listen?

In one key move, Apple recently announced it would stop reporting individual sales each quarter for the iPhone, iPad, and Mac, citing that such reports were “not representative of underlying state of business.”

According to Jamen Graves, a senior client partner at Korn Ferry who specializes in tech, the move is an attempt to align employees, customers, investors, and other stakeholders around the idea that Apple’s future success is about more than any one product.

“It sets up a culture that is conducive to what Apple needs to become,” says Graves. “The reporting change is likely just the beginning, and it signals a pivotal shift in what it means to work at Apple for employees, and how we should think about Apple as investors, shareholders, and customers.”

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