Steve Jobs is one of the most influential people of the century, maybe even ever! But his ideas, values, and approach to life have often been skewed and mutilated by the media. Today, we wish to bring you the truth about Steve from a man who knew him better than most, Ron Johnson. Ron worked with Steve as Apple’s Senior Vice President of Retail Operations, and in this episode, he explains how the tech juggernaut enticed him into a job when he was already flourishing at Target and before Apple had gained its notoriety. We hear all the details of Ron’s first conversation with Steve, how he had to adjust to a new role and industry, how Steve was never tyrannical by nature, and how Steve inspired Ron and everyone else around him to raise their standards to the highest level. Ron also explains Steve’s flexibility in hearing and working on new ideas, the character traits Steve held most dear, how his philosophies are being misunderstood and misused in the modern corporate environment, and everything that his famous Stanford speech reveals about his character. Finally, after sharing the intimacy of his final moments with Steve, Ron reveals that there is no doubt that he was loved by the benevolent co-founder of Apple. Tune in for all this and more on the Paint and Pipette Podcast!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Today’s co-host: two-time New York Times best-selling author, Greg McKeown. 
• Introducing renowned businessman and infamous Apple alumni, Ron Johnson.
• How Apple enticed Ron to join the team before it became the juggernaut it is today. 
• More details on Ron’s first-ever conversation with Steve Jobs. 
• The way he adjusted to his new role at Apple and being in a new industry.   
• How Steve Jobs was not the tyrannical leader the media painted him to be. 
• Understanding how working with Steve inspired Ron to raise his standards.
• How bad ideas become great ideas (and vice versa). 
• Kindness, authenticity, and other traits that Steve Jobs valued. 
• The clarity not present in most modern corporate cultures that Steve offered Ron.
• Adjustments Ron made to communicate better with Steve. 
• Insights on Steve’s character from his carefully crafted and now infamous speech at Stanford.  
• The last time Ron Johnson saw Steve Jobs. 
• Why Ron felt absolutely loved by Steve. 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Ron Johnson on LinkedIn

Apple

Asurion 

Target 

Steve Jobs 

Becoming Steve Jobs 

Tim Cook on X

Greg McKeown  

Jeremy Utley

Jeremy Utley Email

Jeremy Utley on X

Jeremy Utley on LinkedIn