We remember the comeback, but we forget that he was kicked out of the company because he nearly ran it into the ground when he was in charge the first time. You can't put all the blame on the CEOs who followed him for failing to clean up the mess he created in the first place any more than you can give him all the credit for the company's performance long after he departed.
Furthermore, he was only brought back with a turnaround plan that was created up in no small part by his financial backers, and the C-suite he arrived with included Tim Cook. I'm convinced Cook's housecleaning on their supply chain and product lines was what actually saved the company. They might've delayed bankruptcy with a hit like the iMac, but only for a short while.
Yeah, my understanding is that that was one of the most impactful things Jobs did, aggressively clean house and recruit/promote a good leadership team. And they trimmed the product offerings, killed off the clone program, and a bunch of other stuff to improve their focus.
Furthermore, he was only brought back with a turnaround plan that was created up in no small part by his financial backers, and the C-suite he arrived with included Tim Cook. I'm convinced Cook's housecleaning on their supply chain and product lines was what actually saved the company. They might've delayed bankruptcy with a hit like the iMac, but only for a short while.