Just in case you were concerned about how John Sculley was forced out of Apple in a takeover by Michael Spindler, I thought I'd pass on the description of Sculley's severance package. A number of Apple employees have asked wistfully if they can get the same deal if they resign.

The basic severance payment was a cool million, or about the equivalent of a year's salary for Sculley. Sculley won't entirely disappear either, since Apple retained him as a consultant for a year, during which he earns $100,000 per month for the first three months and $50,000 per month for the remaining nine months. One presumes that he's using the time to impart his wisdom to Michael Spindler, who no doubt realizes that Sculley's wisdom got Apple into this mess in the first place. I doubt much work will happen for that $750,000. Wasn't that about the amount Apple received in the Williamson County tax rebate? Hmm....

Don't worry, that's not all. Sculley didn't much like California, one gathers from his biography and other reports, and Apple agreed to buy Sculley's properties in Woodside, California, at fair market value. Some companies pay moving expenses only for incoming employes, but Apple picked up the tab for Sculley to move back to Greenwich, Connecticut, and since he won't need to commute back and forth any more, Apple also bought back his personal Lear 55 jet plane. Finally, since moving always involves a few months of higher expenses, Apple graciously made exercisable Sculley's outstanding stock options. I doubt selling them will bring him into the same class as Bill Gates, but a couple of million extra dollars can come in handy on occasion.

I suspect that some, if not all of these perks were specified in an employment contract so that Apple was legally required to fork over all that money, but I must admit that I'm a bit disgusted with it all.

-- Information from:
Pythaeus