The Amazing Steve Jobs

Walter Isaacson’s biography of the legendary pioneer of the personal computer industry hit the best seller lists in late 2011, but until recently, I resisted investing the time to reading the book because I felt I knew most of what would be in it.  Boy, was I wrong!

This book is a must read for anyone interested in learning how great companies are made and how great leaders lead them.  And equally important, the almost endless stream of amazing facts and vignettes about the Jobs persona makes this lengthy tome read like a novel.

Here is a short summary of the highlights.

Early childhood experiences.  He was adopted.  He dropped out of college, but stayed on for a year and a half, sitting in on classes he liked.  His adoptive mother was an accountant.

His diets.  Throughout his life, Jobs adhered to highly unusual food regimens.  While in his 20s, he ate mostly fruit- and vegetables and believed this prevented body odor and thus, rarely bathed. His theory proved flawed.

Apple’s genesis.  In 1976, Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ron Wayne created Apple.  Wayne chipped in 10% but soon got cold feet and withdrew.  Had Wayne stayed on, his stake would have been worth billions today.

The first Macintosh.  On the day he unveiled the Macintosh in 1984, a reporter asked Jobs what market research he had done on the product. Jobs scoffed and replied, “Did Alexander Graham Bell do any market research before he invented the telephone?”

On being fired in 1985.  “It was the best thing that could have happened to me.  The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.”

His triumphant return in 1997.  “There are a lot of great people at Apple, but they are doing the wrong things because the plan has been wrong.  I’ve found people who can’t wait to fall in line behind a good strategy.”   He got Apple back on track by cutting all except a few core products.  He made devices simpler by eliminating unnecessary buttons, features and options.

Bill Gates and Microsoft.  Both born in 1955, they had an uneasy relationship.   “Bill is basically unimaginative and has never invented anything … He just shamelessly ripped off other people’s ideas.”

His revulsion of PowerPoint.  Jobs pushed his team to focus on ideas rather than PowerPoints. “I hate the way people use slide presentations instead of thinking. People confront a problem by creating a presentation. I want them to engage, to hash things out at the table, rather than show a bunch of slides.”

Jobs’ personality.  This may be the single most amazing part of the book.  Jobs was one of the most effective leaders the business world has ever known; his people were extremely loyal and would move heaven and earth to please Jobs and serve Apple.  Yet Jobs, by his own admission, was a first class jerk.  He was downright cruel to his employees.  He was notorious for taking credit for ideas originating from his people.  He pushed people beyond belief to achieve outrageous deadlines.  Yet somehow, despite the cruel and unusual punishment Jobs heaped upon his people, they not only put up with Jobs’ “dark side,” but produced world-changing results while doing so.  Simply amazing.

Reality distortion field.  A term used by those who worked with him that described Job’s personality to a tee.  Jobs was charismatic and a bit of a con man and could bend situations to his very strong will.   Jobs’ had an uncanny ability to convince himself and others to believe almost anything with a mix of charm, charisma, bravado, hyperbole, marketing, appeasement and persistence.  It was empowering:  It enabled Jobs to inspire his team to change the course of computer history.  He convinced you to do the impossible because you didn’t realize it was impossible.  At the root of the RDF was Job’s belief that normal rules didn’t apply to him.

Design. His eye for simplicity and minimalism were what many credit with the success of Apple’s user-friendly products.  His name is personally on hundreds of patents.

Apple Stores.  He was convinced Apple stores would be successful.  His Board tried to talk him out of it.  By 2011, Apple Stores became one of the most successful retail stores in the world, with annual sales of $16B.

Think Different.   “When you grow up, you are told that the world is the way it is and to try to live inside that world.  Once you discover that the life you are trying to live inside of was made up by people no smarter than you are, that’s a big thing.  You then learn that you can change it.  The minute you understand this, that’s the most important thing…and life will never be the same again.”

Apple’s management structure.  Jobs did not organize Apple into semiautonomous divisions; he closely controlled all of his teams and pushed them to work as one cohesive and flexible company, with one profit-and-loss bottom line.

Apple reinvented.  Jobs said:  “It’s crucial, every now and then, to “bet the company” on some new idea.  Apple did many times.  In 2011, only 10% of Apple’s sales are computers.  iPhones are 50%; iPad-25%.

Specialization.  His stubborn refusal to allow Apple computers to be commoditized has produced spectacular profits.  In 2010, for example, Apple had just 7% of the revenue in the personal computer market, but it grabbed 35% of the profit.

Cancer.  After his initial diagnosis of pancreatic cancer in October, 2003, he waited nine months to have the surgery recommended by his doctors.  If he had followed his doctors’ advice, he might still be living today.