Hongkongers have come to love maligning the new government almost as much as they like Apple's iconic gadgets - but a top adviser to the new chief executive says Leung Chun-ying can still come good.
That's if he takes a lesson from the technology giant's founder.
Executive Council member Franklin Lam Fan-keung admits Leung had made a 'bad start' after a series of scandals, but said Leung can turn things around, just as Steve Jobs did when he rejoined Apple in 1996.
'A bad start does not imply a bad ending. When Jobs was back at Apple it was a mess,' Lam, 51, said in a television interview yesterday.
Jobs famously took the business from near bankruptcy to become one of the most valuable brands in the world before his death last year.
Lam, a former property market analyst turned policy researcher, is new to Exco and admits to being ambivalent about politics, despite being part of a body that can approve or reject government policies.
'I have never had any interest in being linked to politics and would not participate in politics,' said Lam, although he admitted he had stepped into 'a 45 degree Celsius kitchen' when he agreed to join Exco.