I read Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
I was the most surprised by the fact that Steve Jobs became a billionaire through Pixar not Apple. Steve bought 80% of Pixar shares for 5 million dollars. The company then had an IPO after the hit movie Toy Story came out and he made over a hundred million dollars. Most people assume he accumulated all of his wealth through Apple.
What do you admire the most?
I most admire Steve Jobs for his incredible work ethic. He would work tirelessly to continue building his brand and expanding his products. He also had great leadership abilities. He had a way of inspiring his team to work overtime on things such as fonts for the Macintosh computer.
What do you admire the least?
I do not admire admire Steve Jobs for his selfishness. Although his partner had a MAJOR role in Apples success, Steve Jobs gets 95% of the credit for it. Many people do not even know who who Steve Wozniak is even though he was responsible for a lot of the coding and technical work behind Apple's products.
Did he face adversity?
Steve Jobs faced adversity many times throughout his career at Apple. Aside from having multiple product failures, he was ousted from the company in 1985. After working on a few other projects he ended up back at Apple and continued to grow the company to where it is today.
What Competencies did he exhibit?
Two of Steve Job's biggest competencies were his dedication and leadership. Although some say he was demeaning at times as a leader, it proved to be successful. I do not believe he had malicious intent with his leadership, it seemed like more of tough love to continue progress on his product.
Was there a part of the book that was confusing?
I am confused as to why Steve Wozniak did not get more credit. Without his brains, Apple would have never taken off. I feel like he should have gotten more recognition for his work within Apple.
Two Questions for Steve Jobs:
- At what age did you know you wanted to become an entrepreneur?
- If you could go back to 1980 would you do anything differently with your company?
It is clear that Steve Jobs was a big believer in working hard. Apple was basically what he lived and breathed for decades. Without his dedication, we would not be walking around with iPhones today. His work ethic is very admirable and is a good template for young entrepreneurs.
Hello Sean! I also found it interesting that Steve Jobs gained most of his fortune through Pixar rather than Apple, as his co-founding of Apple is more widely known than his involvement with Pixar (for me it was at least). I don’t know if Steve Jobs meant to be the one given most of the credit for Apple, so, I wouldn’t judge him too harshly for it, unless of course that was intentional. I like that you addressed his seemingly malicious leadership style. Although he might have been seen as an incredibly hurtful, rough leader, he created results and I believe he had good intentions.
ReplyDeleteHey Sean! I am also in shock at how Steve Jobs gained most of his richness from Pixar and not Apple, most people would never think of this simply because Steve Jobs is known through Apple. I also admire him for his work and for being able to come up with such simplistic innovations that have transformed the technological world we live in today. I can see how people see him as a tough boss but in the end of the day I can also understand why he had to take the stance that he did on his multi-million dollar business.
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