Apple continuing to learn from Pixar?
The Wall Street Journal reported today that Apple is starting a project they’re calling Apple University. Apple’s not saying much about it yet, but they’ve hired Joel Podolny, the dean of Yale University’s business school, to run things. The post Mr. Podolny leaves behind along with previous teaching engagements at Harvard and Stanford make him well-connected within business academia, which Apple is sure to leverage.
Hey, wasn’t there a recent article in Harvard Business Review by Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull about the value of strong academic ties and cross-training employees? This could be evidence of cross-training of a different kind, where Apple learns from Pixar and Pixar learns from Apple. The obvious Apple references in Pixar’s Wall-E were hard to miss, as are the possibly Pixar-inspired animations Apple added to Leopard and iPhone.
One thing’s for sure: Mr. Podolny wouldn’t have left his prestigious post lightly, so the plans Apple shared with him must have been persuasive indeed.