Jobs Said No to Apple

CUPERTINO, Calif.: Steve Jobs doesn't want to run Apple again. TIME's David Jackson says that's the right decision for both parties. "Apple can survive without Jobs and they will have to. The new boss will have to be someone who can not only hold down the costs and inspire the troops, but also be a super salesman for the product." Who that boss would be is anyone's guess, but possible candidates include Macintosh Power Computing CEO Steve Kahng and onetime IBM and Perot Systems executive James Cannavino. Jobs has always been more of a creator than a manager, and he's happy in his current incarnation as head of the animation company Pixar. Since he genuinely wants Apple to succeed, he will continue taking time out to talk strategy with the managers of the company he created. He's just not interested in running the show. "Managing has never been his strongest suit," says Jackson. "But he's the world's best evangelist and if he can find a way to inspire the company while staying out of the way of the CEO they choose to run it, then that will be the best solution for Apple."