With the intense -- some would say obsessive -- scrutiny of Steve Jobs and his health, what is sometimes overlooked is the company he founded and built: Apple Inc.
After taking a six-month medical leave that involved a liver transplant, Jobs, 54, will return this week to a place that hasn't skipped a beat since he left it.
Although such prominent investors as Warren Buffett fretted last week about the company's future without its charismatic chief executive, longtime observers say Jobs has built an institutional mirror of himself in Apple with senior executives who share many of his values and outlook.
"When Apple goes to hire somebody, the No. 1 criteria isn't how much experience you have or who you know," said Van Baker, an analyst at Gartner Inc., a technology consulting firm. "It's whether they think you will fit into the culture."
The cult of Jobs' personality is ingrained in the corporation, more so perhaps than almost any executive's in other public companies. From the original operating system through the iMac and iPod to the iPhone, Jobs has put his stamp on the main mission: Make technology seamless to the customer, and make it better than anyone else could envision.
"Jobs has driven into the DNA of Apple that they want to make products that are very well-built and very easy to use. Everyone I've met at Apple, from the clerk to the chief financial officer, gets that," said Daniel Ernst, an analyst at Hudson Square Research. "If Jobs were to disappear permanently tomorrow, it wouldn't change this company one iota."
Following Jobs' road map, the Cupertino, Calif., company's stock has surged since he went on medical leave Jan. 14. Despite a tough economy and Apple's pricey products, shares have soared 66%. On Friday, they gained $2.58, or 1.8%, to $142.44. Jobs will return by the end of the month, Apple spokesman Steve Dowling said Sunday without specifying a day.
But Jobs has hardly been bulletproof, and a strategy to walk in his footsteps also could have drawbacks as Jobs' perceived flaws, including his demand for absolute secrecy and insistence on control, are also diffused into the company culture.
The challenges Apple faces include some that Jobs helped create.
His emphasis on quality over price, for example, is a potential sticking point with consumers who have become less willing to pay for the type of discretionary products the company makes.
