Walt Mossberg told people to avoid using Apple maps in favor of Google maps on their iPhones.
It's rare for Mossberg to tell people to avoid Apple services. Mossberg has been largely favorable in his reviews to Apple. This is mostly because Apple has made the best products in the world.
The last time something like this happened there were serious repercussions at Apple.
He trashed MobileMe, which was Apple's attempt at web mail. Mossberg said it was too flawed to recommend to users.
This prompted Steve Jobs to ream out the team working on it.
Fortune's Adam Lashinsky reported Jobs assembled the MobileMe team in an auditorium on the company's campus. He asked them what MobileMe was supposed to do. Someone answer. And he shot back, "So why the f*** doesn't it do that?"
He continued, saying, "You've tarnished Apple's reputation ... You should hate each other for having let each other down ... Mossberg, our friend, is no longer writing good things about us."
On the spot he put someone else in charge of MobileMe.
Tim Cook didn't gather everyone in a room and curse them out over Apple Maps, as far as we know.
Instead, he did something even more drastic. He fired Scott Forstall, who ran iOS, and was ultimately responsible for Maps. And then the person who was put in charge of Apple Maps, Eddy Cue, came in and fired the manager responsible for Apple Maps.
The message from both of these stories is pretty clear: If you screw up at Apple on a major product, you will be humiliated and fired.
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