The Steve Jobs Exclusive Biography is an excellent recount of Job’s life and achievements. And a lot of “dirty secrets” that shed a better light on who Steve Jobs really was.
Bullet Summary
Jobs accused Microsoft of copying OS (but Apple “borrowed” from Xerox)
Steve Jobs manipulated the press to get better coverage for the Mac
Wozniak wanted to give the idea of the Apple I for free, but Jobs convinced him otherwise.
Jobs believed he could cure cancer with acupuncture and eating fruits.
Steve Jobs Summary
It’s interesting for me that a man as successful Walter Isaacson, CEO of CNN and Managing Director of Time would spend so much time on biographies (he also wrote Leonardo da Vinci, Benjamin Franklin, Einstein and Kissinger).
But apparently, he does.
And Steve Jobs: The Exclusive Biography, is the only authorized biography of Steve Jobs.
Growing Up
It wasn’t the biological parents who raised Steve Jobs. The mother had to give him away because her strictly Christian family wouldn’t recognize a baby with a Muslim.
Steve Job biography says Job got interested in design because of the way their house was structured and he got into tech because his father, as a mechanic, tried to lead him in that direction.
My Note: plenty of mechanics sons who are not interested in tech and plenty of designer children who are not interested in design. So I’d be wary of connecting the dots that way.
Wozniak
Steve Jobs met Wozniak in high school. Wozniak was five years older and already good with computers. He taught Jobs a lot about what back then was still an emerging technology.
In 1971 the two launched “Blue Box”, a device for long distance free phone calls.
It cost $40 to produce and they sold 100 of them it at $150. Blue Box gave the two the first glimpse on entrepreneurship and what they could achieve in the emerging field of computers.
LSD & Spirituality
The counterculture of the ’60s heavily influenced Steve Jobs. He who delved into spiritual philosophies, meditative introspection and experimented with psychedelic drugs.
Steve Jobs attributes his sense of aesthetics and extreme focus to his experiences with psychedelic drugs and spirituality. And, interestingly, he also attributes to LSD the focus of what’s important in life. For Steve Jobs, producing great products was important.
Reality Distortion Field
LSD and spirituality helped Steve Jobs develop a view of life which came to be called “reality distortion field“. Such as that no matter the odds or the challenges, if he would decide that something had to happen he would bend reality to his will to make it happen.
Minimalist Approach
Steve Jobs autobiography says that Steve Job’s minimalist approach was influenced by Zen Buddhism, which he explored during his famous Indian trip while exploring Eastern Philosophies.
Apple Idea
It was actually Wozniak who had the idea of Apple.
Wozniak attended the Homebrew Computer Club, a nerd and computer lovers meetup venue. The mindset there was that the counterculture philosophy and the technology revolution where somewhat interlinked.
Indeed Wozniak wanted to freely share his “all in one” computer idea -instead of the several separate pieces that computer were back then-.
Very interestingly, the Steve Jobs biography says that it was Jobs whom convinced Wozniak that they profit from the product instead.
Apple Beginning
In 1976, on Wozniak’s idea, Apple was born with 1.300 in startup capital.
The two worked hard for a whole month hand-building 100 computers: the Apple I. Half of them were sold to a local computer store and the other half to friends and customers.
Steve Jobs Personality
LSD, meditation and eastern philosophies didn’t seem to calm down Jobs’ temper.
The Steve Jobs book says that he was an erratic individual no stranger to tantrums and fits of rage. He was a painstaking perfectionist and when the quality of the work was not up to his standards he would verbally assault people.
Steve Jobs VS Mike Scott
As Apple grew, Steve Jobs personality became more of an issue.
The Steve Jobs biography book says Mike Scott was appointed as Apple’s director with two task:
1. Rein in Jobs unbridled perfectionism
2. Mediate relations between difficult Steve and the employees
For example, after going through 2.000 shades of beige Jobs didn’t think any was good enough for the Apple II case. And he spent days thinking about how rounded the corners should be.
Scott stepped in to ship the product instead of losing time and money on too small details.
Steve Jobs biography says that Mike Scott and Steve Jobs clashes would sometimes see Steve Jobs in tears. It was hard for him to give up control over Apple.
Macintosh
The Apple II was a big success, but it was mostly Wozniak’s creation.
Steve Jobs was highly driven to build something that “would make a dent on the universe.”
Steve Jobs book biography though says the Macintosh was not not solely Job’s invention but he took the idea from Jef Raskin who was already working on the Mac’s project.
Since Jobs was the co-founder, he could take over the project. He did bring some good ideas though.
Macintosh Success
Also thanks to a great marketing campaign (including the famous 1984 commercial), the Mac was a huge success.
The Steve Jobs book biography says Jobs was able to increase that marketing clout by some sneaky maneuvers, such as tricking journalists into believing he was giving exclusive interviews.
Steve Jobs Gets Fired
The success of the Mac propelled Job’s name together with that of the Mac.
But his bullying and harassing behavior continued unabated. His colleagues complained about him and Jobs relationships only continued to sour.
Eventually he reached a showdown with the board of directors, which decided to oust him.
My Note:
In a famous speech years later Steve Jobs rhetorically asks “how do you get fired from the company you founded”. Well, by being an ahole, that’s how.
NEXT & Pixar
Next
Steve Jobs finally had free reigns to design computers the way he wanted. And that didn’t go well. He insisted that NeXT computer case be a solid square.
It made it difficult to engineer it and cost $650.000. Add to that $100.000 for the logo, and Jobs’ machine became delayed, overpriced and sold little.
Pixar
During the same period as NeXT Jobs also acquired a majority stake in Pixar.
It wasn’t going too well either, and Jobs at a certain point ended up losing $50 millions on it while still losing money on NeXT.
A first success for Pixar came with Tin Toy.
Albeit not a huge grossing movie, it showcased Pixar’s uniqueness in computer animation. And that’s when Jobs shifted focus from software and hardware to Pixar.
In 1996 Pixar secures a Disney deal to produce Toy Story, which was the biggest grossing movie of the year and allowed Pixar to go public. With the IPO, Jobs became an almost billionaire as he still held 80% of the company’s shares.
Jobs’ Family Life
Jobs married Laurene Powell in 1991 with the blessing of his old Zen master. They had three children.
Powell also encouraged Jobs to be closer to the daughter he had from his previous relationship, Lisa Brennan.
Jobs did so and Lisa eventually moved in to live together with Jobs and Powell. Lisa was also temperamental and since neither of the two was good at making amends, they could go months without saying a word.
It’s interesting because Jobs’ attitude in his private life was the same as at his job.
Back to Apple: Advisor
Steve Jobs book biography explains how Jobs actually got back into the Apple’s saddle through the backdoor.
Apple wasn’t doing too well and Gil Amelio, the CEO at the time, knew he had to get fresh ideas.
He acquired NeXT software, thus making Jobs an advisor to Apple.
The board, looking for a change, offered Jobs the role of CEO, but he refused, trying to change the company from his advisor position. He also set out looking for a new CEO and forced the board to resign to increase the pace of the change.
He struck a deal with the big rival Microsoft, ending a decade of legal battles and helping Apple’s stock to soar.
Eventually, he reluctantly took the CEO job post.
Back to Apple: CEO
Jobs refocused the company on the basics. Fewer products, and top notch quality. Four to be precise: a desktop and a laptop. One for mass market and one for professionals.
Jony Ive
Steve Jobs realized the talent of a great designer in the team: Jony Ive, and made him the second most powerful person in the company. The first product the pair came out with was iMac.
The iMac challenged the idea of how computers should look like, giving the laptop a playful look.
Apple Store
The Steve Jobs book biography says Jobs was worried the uniqueness of Apple could be lost among the big aisles of hardware store. And therefore he decided to launch the Apple Store, which would also allow him to control the whole retail process.
Jobs of course got to work on it with discipline, focus and his famous detail attention. He wanted it to be minimalist and simple, and when it opened in 2001, it was a huge success.
Digital Hub Strategy: iPod, iPhone, iPad
Steve Jobs had a vision of the personal computer at the center of a new digital lifestyle.
It’s what he called the digital hub strategy. It should be a computer controlling a variety of devices, and he started with music: the iPod.
iPod: skeptics thought $399 was too much, but by 2007 it accounted for half of Apple’s revenues
iPhone: again, critics were skeptical about the price tag (look at example below 🙂
iPad was next in line. The press actually trashed it, but the iPad as well didn’t do too shabbily
The triad had been successful in transforming the consumer technology industry.
Closed, Integrated Systems
Steve Jobs book biography highlights how Jobs always pushed for tightly integrated systems.
He didn’t want consumers to modify the systems and didn’t want other systems to communicate with Apple.
This obsession generated some conflicts, including with with Microsoft and Google, both of which had a very different approach. They both preferred open systems and intercommunication.
My Note:
I personally believe that, on a long enough time line, an open system will always destroy a closed one (Android sales as of 2018 obliterate iPhone’s).
As a person, don’t close yourself off.
Microsoft & Google Spats
Jobs accused Microsoft of copying the Macintosh’s graphical interface (but Apple in turn had “borrowed” the idea from Xerox).
And Jobs also argues that Google had copied many of the iPhone’s signature features with Android.
My Note:
When the Ford T was a success, of course, other cars manufactures went for combustion engines. The market heads towards what works and what creates profits.
Cancer Treatment Jobs’ Way
Steve Jobs book biography says that Jobs approached his cancer the same way he approached much much of the discording opinion he got in his life.
Such as, he did it his own way.
He refused conventional wisdom and in 2003 “cured himself” with acupuncture and vegan diets. Cancer only grew and required a much more invasive surgery.
He did the same again when cancer returned in 2008, curing it with a diet of fruits and veggies.
On the subsequent (late) liver transplant, he never recovered.
Jobs died in 2011, living a trail of groundbreaking products, huge sales successes and a legacy of entrepreneurship.
CONS
Reality Distortion Field: A Doubled Hedged Sword The idea of a reality distortion field is interesting and it seems to draw a bit from the now famous Law of Attraction (read The Secret & The Science of Getting Rich).
But it’s also dangerous. Job’s Reality Distortion Field also included curing cancer with acupuncture and fruits.
I prefer coupling the reality distortion with Ray Dalio’s principle of looking at reality, even when it hurts.
Review
I’m not a big fan of cult personality, and I feel Steve Jobs and Apple do have a bit of a cult following. I feel there’s a bit of sheep and herding behavior in the screaming fans there.
And I also believe Microsoft did much more for the world by putting a laptop on every desk -rather than focusing on design.
Power Mover
My own interpretation of the Steve Jobs after reading his biography is that he was a bit of a power mover.
The way he landed deals, ousted rivals in the Macintosh project and how he tricked journalists, for example.
Ruthless Drive
I think that the ruthless drive and the way he had no patience for mistakes was a key ingredient in both his demises and in his success.
I have seen in other highly driven individual the tendency to “steamroll” people to get what they want. And it’s probably hard for these people to be “calmer” and more accommodating.
I’d even have to wonder: would ruthlessly driven individual lose their drive and genius if they were to calm down?
I’m not sure about that. I think not though. And I think they’d stand to gain if they worked with people instead of against.
At the end of the day, the Steve Jobs Biography was a fascinating read and I can only recommend it.
Steven Paul Jobs was born in San Francisco. Steve was put up for adoption at birth, and was adopted and raised by Paul and Clara Jobs. He grew up in California and befriended many engineer neighbors. When he was 13 years old, he was given a summer job working on a Hewlett-Packard assembly line which he described as if he was ‘in heaven.’ He was an electronics hobbyist who met fellow hobbyist Steve Wozniack. They eventually would be the co-founders of Apple.
In 1977, at age 22, Steve Jobs introduced the Apple II. Apple Computer started becoming successful as among the first to mass produce microcomputers. At 23, Steve was estimated to be worth one million dollars. At age 24, he was worth $10 million, and at 25 was worth $100 million. He resigned briefly from Apple, but later came back and resumed CEO position. In between the departure and his comeback, he started NeXT Computers, which Apple bought. He also invested in Pixar, which was then purchased by Disney, and made Steve as the largest single shareholder of the company.
The 10 Rules For Success
Steve Jobs died from a relapse of pancreatic cancer on October 5, 2011. He was a major influence especially in the Technology world because of the inspirational designs, concepts and products from his companies. Steve was considered a visionary during his time and even beyond from Evan Carmichael, we look at 10 of his so-called rules that made him a success.
1. Don’t Live a Limited Life
Jobs believed that life, as we call it, was made up by people. That simply means that anyone can change it and influence it. People do not have to accept things as they are, because they can definitely do something about it. For instance, people can build products that can change life for the better. Thus, anyone can improve it and make their mark upon it.
2. Have Passion
He agrees that people should have a lot of passion to be successful in what they do. To not have enough of it can simply make a rational person give up. Working at great things is really, really hard, and unless a person loves what he does, giving up would be the logical thing to do. Looking at history, he believed that the people who succeeded were the ones who loved what they did so that they persevered, especially when things got very difficult.
3. Design for Yourself
Jobs and Wozniack designed their first computer for themselves for several reasons. One reason was that they cannot afford to buy a computer kit for themselves at that time. After showing their creation to their friends, other people also wanted it. The idea came to them that they were onto something, and that began their computer business.
4. Don’t Sell Crap
In one interview, Mark Parker, President and CEO of Nike, recalled a conversation that he had with Steve Jobs. Jobs considered Nike as one of the top brands in the world. During one Nike-Apple collaboration, Jobs congratulated Parker for a job well done. Parker asked him if he has any advice. After a pause, Jobs told him that Nike sells some of the best products, but that they also sell not-so-good or crappy products, so they should just focus on the good stuff. At first, Parker thought that Jobs was joking. But when he realized that Jobs was serious, he thought about it, and he realized that Jobs was right.
5. Build a Great Team
He believed that the greatest teams are self managing. When teams know what to do, he believed that they will manage themselves. What they need, according to him, was a common vision. And when people are able to assemble 10 great members as their core group, they will be able to look out for themselves who they think would be an asset that should be added to their group. Essentially, Steve believed that one of his most important job was recruiting.
6. Don’t Do It for the Money
Steve Jobs believed that money is an enabler, allowing people to invest in things that may not have a short-term payback. However, at the point when he was estimated to be worth over a hundred million dollars, money was not the most important thing for him. He considered the company, the people, the products, and the potential of what customers can do with their product as the most important thing. He did not sell any stock, because his faith was in the company.
7. Be Proud of Your Products
He stated that their goal in Apple was to build products that they can be proud of, products that they can recommend to their family and friends. He explained that if compromising would mean a lower price, but in return, they would not be proud to recommend a product, then he simply would not do it. There are thresholds that they will not cross if that means shipping a product of lower quality.
8. Build Around Customers
Steve Jobs believed that a great product start with the customer experience going back to the technology, and not the other way around. For him, it did not make sense to start with the technology, to only talk with the engineers, and then figure out how to sell a product. In creating Apple’s strategy and vision, he always started with what benefit can they give to the customer. Having an awesome technology was just a tool.
9. Marketing Is About Values
He believed even the best brands need caring and investing. But the best companies do not necessarily talk about their products. He cited Nike, who does not talk about its air soles or why its better than Reebok. Instead, its commercials honor athletes and athletics. Therefore, marketing Apple is to know what it is that the company stand for. Although Apple creates great computers for people to get their job done, its core value is really that people with passion can change the world for the better.
10. Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish
In his commencement address at Stanford University, he advised the graduates the message of a certain publication he used to read. He told the youth to remain idealistic, to be equipped with neat tools, and be full of great notions. When he was younger, he wished for himself to stay hungry – for knowledge, for adventure, for great things; and to stay foolish – to be positive, passionate, persevering. And this is the same advice he gave the graduates.
Conclusion
Steve Jobs, aside from being successful, was also considered controversial. But people who stood up strongly for their ideas usually are. Successful people challenge the status quo, the norms of their times, because they hope for something better, and they believe they can do something to make it better. We hope that we can learn something from these 10 rules, and start changing things in our lives for the better.
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