Michael Spindler (22 December 1942 – September 5, 2016 and worked at DEC and Intel, before he moved to join Apple Computer. Having joined Apple in 1980 after Mike Markkula brought him over to help out with marketing at Apple's European office, he rose through the ranks in Apple's European operations as President of Apple Europe, then President of Apple International. Michael Spindler had built a reputation as a great strategist in business tactics. One of his most successful strategies that soared Apple's global sales included giving Apple's various territories more autonomy over their marketing strategies. One of his first moves as CEO included massive cost cutting measures such as laying off workers, ending costly projects and cutting down on R&D projects, freezing executive salaries.
After Apple, Spindler worked at Upstart Capital, Daimler-Benz, and Bertelsmann. He also "served as a trustee for the American Film Institute."