Because they feel they invented the personal computer, Apple people think they are the ideal leaders of the movement. Implicit in the Apple cosmology is a “We’ll show the bastards” mentality. By “bastards,” Apple people mean IBM and other large corporations. Though Apple is growing at a rate enviable to the most hard-bitten Wall Street analyst, a subtle 1960s-style youth culture is pervasive. The average age of employees is 30. Jeans are acceptable attire for corporate vice-presidents.
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Besides egalitarianism, another strong part of the Apple belief system is sharing the wealth. An estimated 300 Apple employees (almost all of whom are less than 40 years old) have become millionaires. The company regularly distributes a percentage of quarterly profits to employees. For the first quarter of 1983, this bonus augmented salaries by 12 percent.
