The relationship between tech giants Apple and Adobe is a legendary tale of Silicon Valley, marked by decades of both deep partnership and fierce rivalry. From pioneering desktop publishing together to public spats over technologies like Flash, their history is complex. A recently resurfaced email exchange from 2005, made public during a major antitrust lawsuit, offers a rare glimpse into a heated corporate conflict over employee poaching between the two companies' top bosses: Steve Jobs and Adobe CEO Bruce Chizen.
The Flashpoint: Jobs' Blunt Email to Adobe's CEO
On Thursday, May 26, 2005, Apple's iconic co-founder, Steve Jobs, sent a sharply worded email to Bruce Chizen, who was the Chief Executive Officer of Adobe from 2000 to 2007. The subject line was simple: "Recruiting." Jobs accused Adobe of actively recruiting Apple employees, stating they had already hired one person and were calling many more. He highlighted his own company's policy of not recruiting from Adobe and demanded clarity. "One of us must change our policy. Please let me know who," Jobs concluded, putting the ball squarely in Chizen's court.
Chizen's Counter and the Alleged Agreement
Later that same day, Bruce Chizen fired back a reply. He contested Jobs' claim, suggesting there was a prior, more limited understanding between the two firms. Chizen stated he thought they had agreed not to recruit any senior-level employees (defined at Adobe as Sr. Director/VP and above, roughly 2% of their staff). He countered by alleging that Apple's recruiters had been approaching more junior Adobe employees. Chizen proposed maintaining the status quo on senior hires and offered to discuss further, aiming for a formal agreement.
The Legal Fallout and a Costly Settlement
This private executive correspondence did not remain secret. It was disclosed in 2010 as part of court documents from a significant antitrust lawsuit. The lawsuit alleged that several technology companies, including Adobe, Apple, Google, and Intel, had illegal agreements not to cold-call each other's employees for hiring purposes. Such collusion on hiring practices is against the law in the United States as it suppresses wages and limits employee mobility. The case was eventually settled, with the four companies agreeing to pay a combined $415 million to resolve the allegations.
This email feud is just one chapter in the long Apple-Adobe saga. It preceded the more public and technological clash over Flash technology, which saw Apple effectively ban Flash on its iPhones. The 2005 exchange underscores that the tensions between the two corporations often ran deeper than software, touching on the very competition for human talent that drives Silicon Valley. It reveals how informal pacts between powerful companies can blur ethical and legal lines, ultimately leading to substantial financial and reputational consequences.
