Al Gore and James Bell to Retire From Apple's Board of Directors, Dr. Wanda Austin to Join

[MacRumors]

Both Al Gore and James Bell are retiring from Apple's board of directors, Apple announced today. Dr. Wanda Austin, former president and CEO of The Aerospace Corporation, has been nominated to join the board as the two depart.

According to Apple, Dr. Austin brings "decades of science and technology experience" to the role, and she has a track record of "advancing innovation and shaping corporate strategy."

"Wanda has spent decades advancing technology on behalf of humanity, and we're thrilled to welcome her to Apple's board of directors," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "She's an extraordinary leader, and her invaluable experience and expertise will support our mission of leaving the world better than we found it."

"Like Apple, I've always believed in the power of innovation to improve lives, support human potential, and shape a better future," said Dr. Austin. "I'm honored to join Apple's board of directors, and I look forward to being part of a company that's always creating new ways to empower people all over the world."

Apple does not allow directors to stand for reelection after reaching age 75, which means that both Al Gore and James Bell are retiring from the board due to their age.

"We're deeply grateful to Al and James for their many years of service to Apple -- their insights, energy, and values have made us a stronger company in so many ways," said Cook. "For more than 20 years, Al has contributed an incredible amount to our work -- from his unconditional support for protecting our users' privacy, to his incomparable knowledge of environment and climate issues. James's dedication has been extraordinary, and we're thankful for the important perspectives and deep expertise he's offered on audit, finance, and so much more over the years."

Al Gore first joined Apple's board in 2003, while James Bell joined in 2015. Dr. Austin has a Ph.D in industrial and systems engineering. She joined The Aerospace Corporation in 1979, and from 2008 to 2016, she served as the organization's president and CEO. From 2018 to 2019, she was the interim president of the University of Southern California, and she also serves on the boards of Amgen and Chevron. She previously was on the board of Virgin Galactic.

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Article Link: Al Gore and James Bell to Retire From Apple's Board of Directors, Dr. Wanda Austin to Join

 

[GMShadow]

Shame to lose the inventor of the Internet, but I guess Apple will survive.

 

[Think|Different]

He's been binging the latest #ForAllMankind season and realizes he won't be re-elected by the time the finale is over tomorrow.

 

[jooish]

Nice to see term/age limits applied ...somewhere.

 

[desslr]

Hopefully they have chosen the best person for the job… lot at stake, Microsoft is snapping at their heels and more valuable now and they don’t even have a phone or even phone operating system!

Didn’t Virgin Galactic go bust?

 

[Someyoungguy]

Shame to lose the inventor of the Internet, but I guess Apple will survive.

Troll much? This is easily debunked with two minutes of googling.

 

[Naraxus]

Good. Maybe now Apple can drop the ******** junk science "Climate Change" mantra they've been spewing the last few years now that Mr. Hypocrite Gore is gone and get back to making products sans distraction

 

[zach-coleman]

I always wondered why Al Gore randomly turned up as a voicemail in the iPhone 2G keynote. Finally have my answer…

 

[GMShadow]

Troll much? This is easily debunked with two minutes of googling.

Tis a sad day when we feel the need to 'debunk' jokes.

 

[klasma]

So maybe the next XR device will be… Wanda Vision?



...and the battery pack Austin Powers.

 

[EmotionalSnow]

Unfortunate. But as the saying goes: good things don't last forever.

 

[sparkinstx]

Shame to lose the inventor of the Internet, but I guess Apple will survive.

He's instead going to focus on searching for ManBearPig.

 

[Pezimak]

Shame they don’t have the same rule for government elected members… I think 75 is quite old enough to still be working in those positions.

Hope she brings some fresh innovation with her?

 

[erikkfi]

Good. Maybe now Apple can drop the ******** junk science "Climate Change" mantra they've been spewing the last few years now that Mr. Hypocrite Gore is gone and get back to making products sans distraction

Eeeeeeeewwwwwwwww, this comment.

 

[jimbobb24]

Largely ceremonial positions that get paid lots of money to make sure no one is doing anything insane at apple. The new hire serves about the same role as Gore - minimal business experience but lots of political connections which apples needs more than ever.

 

[vertsix]

Hopefully this brings some long overdue changes and simplification to their existing product lines.

 

[JoEw]

Hopefully this brings some long overdue changes and simplification to their existing product lines.

Good one.
The board is more for the politics as a public company than for influencing product decisions.

 

[entropys]

I admit considerable discomfort when boards start appointing ex politicians To the boards. They aren’t being appointed for their business acumen, but their access to government. business and politicians in bed with each other only ends up creating two tier societies.
Dr Austin sounds like a superior appointment to the Board.

 

[redbeard331]

Eeeeeeeewwwwwwwww, this comment.

Yea like this is a tech site, and yet we have people that mis-informed here??

Probably flat-Earthers as well, same people that use iPhones don’t believe in basic proven science because some wingnut in a crooked political party told them not to believe in it.

 

[Attirex]

Someone let me know why I should be outraged by this announcement, thx.

 

[jimbobb24]

I admit considerable discomfort when boards start appointing ex politicians To the boards. They aren’t being appointed for their business acumen, but their access to government. business and politicians in bed with each other only ends up creating two tier societies.
Dr Austin sounds like a superior appointment to the Board.

lol what? Dr. Austin is basically a political appointment. She has been in the govt her whole life.

I share your concern about politics and business, but that ship has sailed so it's better to have political people to navigate the dangerous waters so I am happy they have Austin.

 

[fwmireault]

Good. Maybe now Apple can drop the ******** junk science "Climate Change" mantra they've been spewing the last few years now that Mr. Hypocrite Gore is gone and get back to making products sans distraction

What a waste of our time and of your energy. Please find hobbies or something meaningful to do, it’s not good for your mental health to stay mad because some people care about this planet.

 

[Harry Haller]

Tis a sad day when we feel the need to 'debunk' jokes.

Humor has been deemed offensive these days.
Sad state of affairs.

 

[jayducharme]

With her experience, Apple will pivot from focusing on an Apple Car to an Apple Rocket -- the first Mac on the moon!

 

[a m u n]

Hopefully they have chosen the best person for the job… lot at stake, Microsoft is snapping at their heels and more valuable now and they don’t even have a phone or even phone operating system!

Didn’t Virgin Galactic go bust?

Well, the euphoria lasted only a few hours. Apple is once again the largest company in the world.