sign off on

[unpakwon]

What does "sign off on" mean in the following? Permit or allow?

It turned out to be an exclusive Q&A with the Apple CEO. One Jobs didn't necessarily sign off on (and would never after all of this). Ethically, the whole thing just seems flaky.

Thank you.

 

[SoothingDave]

I'm not sure what you think the distinction between "permit" and "allow" is.

Permit | Define Permit at Dictionary.com

The first definition of permit is "to allow."

 

[unpakwon]

I thought those two words are almost the same.

So you agree "sign off on" means "to allow" in the context, don't you?

 

[SoothingDave]

Since this was something involving him, I would say "agree to" is a better definition. He wasn't just going to allow something, he was going to have to do it.

 

[BobK]

:up: But in some companies there's actually a piece of paper involved. If you sign off on something you both agree to it and sign the paper - reording the fact that you've agreed. I don't know whether in Apple at the time this sort of 'sign-off' was involved.

b