Edible Apple

It remains to be seen whether or not Apple will give Eric Schmidt’s newly vacant seat on Apple’s board of directors to someone else, but in the meantime, speculation about who Apple should choose has run off in a number of interesting directions.

Most recently, some have said that Apple shouldn’t give the spot to Apple COO Tim Cook, arguing that it needs an outside perspective on the board.  CNBC’s Jim Goldman, though, has a pretty spot-on response:

Spare me.  Investors should want — and deserve — the best, qualified, effective board the company can cobble together, whether that means insiders, outsiders or whomever.  Cook’s qualifications, and his demonstrated ability and allegiance to Apple should speak for themselves.  Jobs disappeared for six months, and Apple didn’t miss a beat in his absence thanks to Cook’s leadership.  It’s not that Cook “deserves” the invite; he’s earned it.  He’s essential, and beyond the untold riches he’s amassed as such a key exec at this company, he ought to be recognized in a decidedly un-financial way with an elevation to the board.