How can the lessons from Steve Jobs' management style be applied in today's business environment?

The agency theory, which deals with the relationship between principals (shareholders) and agents (managers), may have impacted Steve Jobs in several ways.

Firstly, as CEO, Jobs was an agent responsible for acting in the best interest of Apple's shareholders. His decision to bring in trusted people from NeXT into top positions at Apple could be seen as an attempt to align management's interests with those of the shareholders, a key principle of agency theory.

Secondly, Jobs' focus on reinventing Apple and building something new aligns with the agency theory's emphasis on risk-taking. As an agent, Jobs was expected to take calculated risks to increase shareholder value, which he did by transforming Apple from a PC company into a leader in innovative technology products.

Lastly, the agency theory also emphasizes the importance of monitoring and controlling agents to ensure they act in the shareholders' best interests. In Jobs' case, his return to Apple and subsequent actions could be seen as a response to such monitoring and control mechanisms.

The evidence that Apple was failing after Steve Jobs' firing can be seen in several areas:

Firstly, Apple lost significant market share to Microsoft in the personal computer market. This was a clear indication of the company's declining competitiveness.

Secondly, Apple was desperately searching for an operating system to solve its networking and memory management issues. This shows that the company was struggling with technological challenges.

Thirdly, Apple had to buy NeXT for $400 million to get a suitable operating system, indicating financial desperation.

Lastly, the fact that Apple had to undergo a metamorphosis and become a company that builds something new suggests that its previous business model was not working.

These points collectively provide evidence of Apple's struggles post-Jobs' firing.