Full Transcript Of Jobs 2008 Deposition

Seeking Alpha has posted an iPaper (WTF?!?) copy of Steve Jobs March 18, 2008 deposition for the US Securities and Exchange Commission vis-a-vis the options back dating scandal.

Here are some highlights:

— “Apple was not in good shape and everybody knew it. The kind of candidates that we were being offered up by the headhunters were not very talented—it just slid into the fact that I stayed.”

— “I felt that to my knowledge there had never been a CEO of two public companies before. I felt if I took the job, the Pixar shareholders and employees would think I was abandoning them.”

— “That’s the key asset Apple has—is its talent. I was very concerned that Apple could really suffer some big losses on its executive team with the business environment we were in and the competitors coming after our people.”

— “I wanted the über important people to get a million shares.”

Sunshine laws and freedom of information legislation make America a more beautiful place regardless of what Cheney or any of his fellow travelers say…