When you are told not to share everything on social networks. Dr. Dre found out the hard way in 2014 after a video was released where he was celebrating the acquisition of Beats by Apple. problem, the deal had not yet been officially announced by the two companies.
This incident has already been narrated in the documentary The Defiant Ones chronicling the rise of American rapper and producer Jimmy Iovine to founding Beats, but the new book After Steve gives some additional details.
Jimmy Iovine had been very clear with his partner, the acquisition had to remain secret until the last moment:
- Dre, do you remember De Niro, Jimmy’s character from “Goodfellas”? When he told his men: Don’t buy furs, don’t buy cars, don’t get noticed…
- Yeah ?
- Don’t move this weekend. Do not do anything.
- OK, I understand.
Badaboum, two days later, actor Tyrese Gibson broadcasts on his Facebook account the video of a drunken evening during which Dr. Dre balances that he becomes “Rap’s first billionaire! »
According to the author ofAfter Steve, this video panicked Jimmy Iovine, who feared that the case would fall through. Tim Cook, who remained calm, invited the two founders of Beats to a private conversation in Cupertino. The CEO of Apple let them know that although he regretted this premature announcement on social networks, the acquisition was going to be made.
Nevertheless, Tim Cook took advantage of this blunder to reduce the price to pay for Beats by 200 million dollars (3 billion dollars in total). Also according to journalist Tripp Mickle, this penalty was considered by the Beats teams as a way to ensure that Dr. Dre did not become a billionaire by little.
In interviews given since, Dr. Dre cites this episode as his “most instructive failure”.