Founders #19 Becoming Steve Jobs
The journey of Steve Jobs from a reckless entrepreneur to a visionary leader is captivating. Uncover the failed negotiations between NeXT and IBM, showcasing Jobs' unpredictable nature. Insights into his artistic approach and leadership style reveal the essence of company culture and product innovation. Bill Gates shares thoughts on Jobs' simplicity, while Jobs' commitment to doing great work emphasizes passion over speed. Explore the pivotal moments that shaped his legacy and the transformative impact of the iPhone on personal computing.
01:13:53
Verbal Mastery
- At 22, Steve Jobs already displayed verbal mastery, demystifying computers for the average person.
- He compared the Apple II to a "domesticated" computer, yet linked it to Rolls-Royce, elevating its image.
Failed IBM Negotiation
- Steve Jobs' immaturity hindered his negotiations with IBM for the NeXTStep operating system.
- His rudeness and fluctuating demands ultimately killed the deal, a fatal blow to NeXT.
Catmull's Quiet Strength
- Steve Jobs valued Ed Catmull's quiet strength and thoughtful intelligence.
- He saw Catmull as an intellectual match and admired his ability to listen.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app 1 chevron_right 2 chevron_right 3 chevron_right 4 chevron_right 5 chevron_right 6 chevron_right
Intro
00:00 • 11min
The Turbulent Partnership with IBM
10:50 • 5min
Steve Jobs: Leadership and Legacy
15:30 • 22min
The Essence of Company Culture and Product Creation
37:20 • 2min
Leadership Evolution: Steve Jobs and Innovation
39:31 • 31min
Revolutionizing Personal Computing: The Legacy of the iPhone
01:10:09 • 4min
On the firing line
My 500 Days at Apple
William L. Simon
Gil Amelio
In 'On the Firing Line: My 500 Days at Apple', Gil Amelio recounts his experiences as the CEO of Apple from 1996 to 1997. The book provides a candid look at the challenges he faced, including financial struggles, organizational issues, and the eventual return of Steve Jobs to the company. It offers insights into the corporate culture of Apple during that period and Amelio's efforts to revitalize the company.
Becoming Steve Jobs
The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader
Brent Schlender
Rick Tetzeli
This book provides a rich and revealing account of Steve Jobs' life, drawing on exclusive access to his family, former inner circle executives, and top people at Apple, Pixar, and Disney. It humanizes Jobs by explaining his behavior and highlighting his growth from a brash founder to a mature and effective leader. The narrative includes stories never told before and offers a fresh perspective on Jobs' career, particularly his time at NeXT and Pixar, and his return to Apple. The authors, who had close relationships with Jobs, detail how he learned to trust his inner circle, became more patient, and developed a more mature management style, ultimately transforming the daily life of billions of people.
Let my people go surfing
The Education of a Reluctant Businessman
Yvon Chouinard
This book tells the story of Yvon Chouinard, who brought doing good and having grand adventures into the heart of his business life. It details his journey from his youth as the son of a French Canadian handyman to his ambitious climbing expeditions that inspired his innovative designs for climbing equipment. The book also explores how Chouinard built Patagonia into one of the most respected and environmentally responsible companies, emphasizing the importance of sustainability, personal growth, and unconventional business practices.
Elon Musk
Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future
Ashlee Vance
This book is an authorized biography that delves into the life of Elon Musk, from his tumultuous childhood in South Africa to his rise as a visionary entrepreneur in Silicon Valley. Ashlee Vance captures Musk's journey through his various ventures, including PayPal, SpaceX, Tesla, and SolarCity. The book examines Musk's unique personality, his insatiable drive, and his ability to thrive through hardship. It also explores the broader context of American innovation and the challenges of global competition, positioning Musk as a contemporary amalgam of legendary inventors and industrialists like Thomas Edison, Henry Ford, and Steve Jobs.
Becoming Steve Jobs
The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader
Brent Schlender
Rick Tetzeli
This book provides a rich and revealing account of Steve Jobs' life, drawing on exclusive access to his family, former inner circle executives, and top people at Apple, Pixar, and Disney. It humanizes Jobs by explaining his behavior and highlighting his growth from a brash founder to a mature and effective leader. The narrative includes stories never told before and offers a fresh perspective on Jobs' career, particularly his time at NeXT and Pixar, and his return to Apple. The authors, who had close relationships with Jobs, detail how he learned to trust his inner circle, became more patient, and developed a more mature management style, ultimately transforming the daily life of billions of people.
Steve Jobs
Walter Isaacson
This biography, based on more than 40 interviews with Steve Jobs and over 100 interviews with family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues, provides a riveting story of Jobs' roller-coaster life and intense personality. It highlights his passion for perfection, his ferocious drive, and how he revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing. The book explores Jobs' contradictions, his 'reality distortion field,' and the lessons about innovation, character, leadership, and values that can be drawn from his life and career.
The Everything Store
Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon
Brad Stone
The Everything Store is a revealing and definitive biography of Amazon.com and its driven founder, Jeff Bezos. The book chronicles Amazon's journey from its humble beginnings as a mail-order book seller to its transformation into a global retail and technology giant. Brad Stone enjoyed unprecedented access to current and former Amazon employees and Bezos family members, providing a detailed, fly-on-the-wall account of life at Amazon. The book highlights Bezos's relentless pursuit of new markets, his innovative ventures such as the Kindle and cloud computing, and how he transformed retail in a manner comparable to Henry Ford's impact on manufacturing.
Good to Great
Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't
Jim Collins
In 'Good to Great,' Jim Collins and his research team investigate why some companies achieve long-term greatness while others do not. The book identifies key concepts such as Level 5 Leadership, the Hedgehog Concept, a Culture of Discipline, and the Flywheel Effect. These principles are derived from a comprehensive study comparing companies that made the leap to greatness with those that did not. The research highlights that greatness is not primarily a function of circumstance but rather a result of conscious choice and discipline. The book provides practical insights and case studies to help businesses and leaders understand and apply these principles to achieve sustained greatness.
Creativity, Inc.
Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration
Amy Wallace
Ed Catmull
Ed Catmull and Edwin E. Catmull and Amy Wallace
In this book, Ed Catmull shares insights on how to build and maintain a creative culture within an organization. Drawing from his experiences at Pixar, Catmull discusses the importance of open communication, risk-taking, and protecting the creative process. The book includes candid discussions, anecdotes about Pixar's film development, and lessons on managing innovation and creativity. It emphasizes the need for a nurturing work environment and the importance of storytelling in business.
What I learned from reading Becoming Steve Jobs: The Evolution of a Reckless Upstart into a Visionary Leader by Brent Schlender and Rick Tetzeli.
---
Learning from great company-builders (0:30)
Steve Jobs verbal mastery (5:00)
The failed negotiations between NeXT and IBM (10:00)
"But how can he be a turnaround expert when he eats his lunch alone in his office, with food served to him on china that looks like it came from Versailles?" (18:00)
"You can't go to the library and find a book titled The Business Model for Animation. The reason you can't is because there's only one company [Disney] that's ever done it well, and they were not interested in telling the world how lucrative it was." (22:00)
Bill Gates on Steve's simplicity (29:00)
Steve Jobs on being an artist (33:00)
Apple pays half billion dollars to rehire Steve Jobs (34:00)
"The company is one of the most amazing inventions of humans, this abstract construct that is incredibly powerful." (38:00)
Unlocking secrets (42:00)
Who gives a fuck about the channel? (45:00)
"It's not about how fast you do something, it's about doing your level best." (52:00)
Deep Restlessness (55:00)
"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle." (59:00)
Bill Gates on the negotiations between Pixar and Disney (1:08:00)
----
Founders Notes gives you the ability to tap into the collective knowledge of history's greatest entrepreneurs on demand. Use it to supplement the decisions you make in your work. Get access to Founders Notes here.
----
“I have listened to every episode released and look forward to every episode that comes out. The only criticism I would have is that after each podcast I usually want to buy the book because I am interested so my poor wallet suffers. ” — Gareth
Be like Gareth. Buy a book: All the books featured on Founders Podcast