IBM CEO, Netflix CEO & Carl Icahn discuss Apple relationship at DealBook conf. [Video]

IBM CEO

While Apple didn’t have an official presence at the New York Times DealBook Conference yesterday (not counting former US Vice President Al Gore who sits on Apple’s board), the Cupertino company still got plenty of airtime on stage. IBM CEO Ginni Rometty explained her company’s relationship with Apple and how their partnership is beneficial for changing how iPhones and iPads are used, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings addressed Amazon’s recent move to block Apple TVs and Google Chromecasts from its store, and activist investor Carl Icahn shares how he discovered Apple, which he calls “the greatest company in the world.” Check out each video appearance below from yesterday’s conference to see what they had to say:

Discussing Apple’s quickly expanding partnership with IBM, Ginni Rometty explained that IBM knows enterprise in the way that Apple knows consumers. Using an example of a MobileFirst app created through the partnership for Coca-Cola that handles analytics and vending machine management, Rometty says the partnership allows their clients to do more with iOS devices than just email and browsing. Rometty also cites Enterprise AppleCare which was setup through the partnership between the two companies as one way they allow Apple to serve enterprise customers differently than consumers.

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings talked about Amazon’s recent move to stop selling Apple TVs and Google Chromecasts in favor of their Fire TV products, specifically discussing the possibility of Netflix being blocked on certain platforms in the future. Hastings compared the scenario to what would have happened if Apple blocked Google Maps on iOS after Apple Maps was introduced. According to Hastings, that would be a “brand violation” that isn’t illegal but just not possible. When asked about what Apple will do with Apple TV in the future (think web TV service), Hastings says nobody knows…

Finally, American’s favorite activist investor Carl Icahn says his son introduced him to Apple in the last ten years, which he thinks is “the greatest company in the world.” Icahn, of course, is most known in the Apple space for his demands through open letters on how Apple should manage its stock, including buy-back programs, which doesn’t always align with Apple’s interest.

Filed under: AAPL Company, Enterprise, Tech Industry Tagged: AAPL, Apple, Carl Icahn, DealBook, IBM, Netflix