However, cliched it may sound, but I firmly believe that employees are the biggest asset for an organization. Though there is no definitive way of measuring the “human” value, it makes sense intuitively. I came across this article by Jeff Segal from BreakingViews, where he does some simple calculations to indicate the value of Apple’s various businesses and the value of its ever-charismatic leader Steve Jobs.
He values the Mac business at about $19 billion.
iPod business at $14 billion.
iTunes store at about $1 billion.
iPhone business at $17 billion (that’s simply wow!).
Other businesses at $11billion.
Roughly, these add up to about $60 billion dollars, which is about $20 billion less than Apple’s market cap. And, Jeff concludes, that Steve Job is worth $20 mind-blowing-billions to Apple’s shareholders. That is the premium for a truly innovative leader. In a way, it makes all the more sense for companies to get the best people and invest in them. People assets can be as big as or even outgrow the core tangible business assets.
