13A first book review

Book Review: Steve Jobs

1. What surprised me most about the entrepreneur was how he chose the name Apple. After reading into a lot of different reasons on why this could’ve been the companies name, the book reveals that it puts Apple before Atari in the phonebook. This was surprising in itself but really it is more surprising how much of a marketing genius Jobs was. He had such an idea for his consumer and every step they would make in purchasing his product that even something as simple as placing his company before another in the phonebook was something essential to his success.
            I most admired Jobs’ drive. The fact that he was able to found Apple, go to Pixar after being forced out of the company he founded, and then be able to swallow his pride for the better and take it back and put it on top of the tech world is truly amazing. Jobs was mentally beat in terms of how he was treated. Being thrown out of his own brain child and then being asked to come back despite all the bitter feelings still being present is truly shocking. I don’t admire him most for what he did or what he created but the fact that he was just one of the most determined people we know today and he didn’t let a damn thing or person get in his way.
            What I least admired about Jobs is his personality. Jobs was successful and able to motivate others; however, he wasn’t very good in working with others. Many friends and family members related to Jobs are on record saying how bad of a person he is, with many different scenarios of him being obscenely rude to those who work for him in the novel. Additionally, it is made very clear that Jobs doesn’t have the best relationship possible with his daughter. Despite the respect I have for Jobs and what he accomplished, the one thing I least admire is definitely his sharp and jaded personality.
            I think the main adversity and failure Jobs faced is something I already addressed. After the Board of Directors developed a different view than Jobs, and through a lot of tension and stress over Apple’s future being carried by a child, he was forced out of his own company. That failure of being replaced is hard, but being replaced from a company one started is something different altogether. I feel like it is necessary to mention as Jobs’ failure because it is easily his greatest failure. In order to overcome this failure, Jobs took to founding Pixar and leading it straight to success. Others then started to again jump on the bandwagon that was the innovation Jobs’ possessed and he again was restored as CEO of Apple.

2.  Jobs possessed three major competencies: knowledge of the consumer, marketing, and an ability to motivate. Jobs knew the consumer down to a T. Jobs was able to predict when, how, why, and in what fashion the consumer was buying his product. Jobs did this so well that he practically controlled the consumer to adopt his product as a version of social currency. Jobs was able to design the Apple stores around what a consumer would want to see and buy products in. Another thing Jobs knew was marketing. Jobs is famous for his Keynote speeches that were able to convince everyone and their mother that his product was the best in the world. Jobs had the utmost knowledge of how to get his product in your hand and Apple even after Jobs departure has continued to hold that same capture on the market. Lastly, Jobs was able to motivate people. Jobs could convince a team of sleep deprived Apple employees to continue working towards the greater good of the company. Jobs was able to know people and how to motivate them despite his reputation for occasionally resorting to harsh words and terms.

3. The part of the reading that confused me the most is Jobs RDF. It was at first hard to grasp and understand the concept of, however, I was eventually able to understand the ability it was that he possessed.

4.  What is your biggest regret in life? This for the obvious reason of seeing where Jobs feels he has failed the most.

Where do you see Apple in ten years? To try and understand what Jobs thinks the future of his company will be once he lives this world.


5. Jobs opinion of hard work was just trying one’s best and doing what you love. I think that if you put all your effort to one task but didn’t love it, that it wouldn’t count as hard work. Jobs was such a proponent of such odd details about each product that it became obvious that he thought hard work had to include work you love doing. I definitely agree that as hard as one can work on a project that they don’t love, there is a different level of effort and skill that becomes unlocked when putting in the same effort into something someone loves.

Comments

  1. UnknownOctober 15, 2018 at 4:30 PM

    Hi Chad,

    This book looks very interesting. I did not know that that was the reason Steve Jobs choose Apple as the name for his company, that is pretty funny. I like the way in which you broke down Steve Jobs competencies into the specific business/marketing strategies he employs, and then spoke about how that led to his success. I have heard before that he is a rude individual, and it seems that this book confirms this. It is unfortunate, but sometimes the case with such successful people.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownOctober 15, 2018 at 6:13 PM

    Chad,
    I too read to biography of Steve Jobs. I had the same takeaway as you did about Jobs' personality. While Jobs was obviously extremely successful, the relationships he had with others often came off as being lacking. I lack the question you had about Apple in 10 years. Looking at the direction the company has taken since Jobs' death, I would be interested to see what Jobs thinks about where they are now, and if he is confident in the company's future.

    ReplyDelete

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