Assignment 13A

Assignment 13A

I read Walter Isaacson’s biography of Steve Jobs.

• What surprised you the most? 

I think what surprised me the most was Jobs’s tumultuous history in initially running the company that is such a high-powered juggernaut of industry today. It was very unexpected considering what a success story Apple represents today.  I think Jobs exemplified how to overcome adversity, in his personal and professional affairs.  What surprised me was how Jobs was able to think differently, drawing inspiration from his surroundings in profound ways.

• What about the entrepreneur did you most admire? 

Jobs was always willing to do whatever it took to succeed.  He recognized the importance of making your own way in life and creating your own opportunities for yourself.  Hard work was a core part of Steve Jobs’s identity, and he was easily able to brush off critics and skeptics.  Jobs believed in himself and all his endeavors wholeheartedly, and took overall quality seriously.  He wanted to make a great product.  All of these were brought on by Jobs’s most admirable trait, dedication.  Jobs was dedicated to doing the best in everything he did. 

• What about the entrepreneur did you least admire? 

Jobs’s personal life was definitely a roller coaster, and I don’t particularly agree with how he treated ‘imperfection’ in his eyes, having a short and active temper with his associates and peers.  I also think Jobs showed too much pride in himself and what he wanted to create.  Perfectionism is good, but Jobs’s manifestation of it was taken to the extreme.  Jobs was uncompromising.  This can also be seen in his approach to his cancer diagnosis, choosing to reject proven traditional medicine.  I feel this was at least somewhat driven by pride on his end, choosing to solve the issue his way, but ultimately failed to do so.

• Did the entrepreneur encounter adversity and failure? If so, what did they do about it?

Steve Jobs had a lot of adversity and challenges thrown at him during his life, but was very successful in overcoming them.  He got fired from his own company, and instead founded his own new NeXT venture, which eventually brought him back to Apple as (eventually) CEO.  In the meantime, he had his activities with Pixar and Toy Story, the IPO that made him a billionaire (not Apple, surprising, since it is worth a lot more than Pixar today).  Jobs put a lot of work and thought into every business action and endeavor, and many of them succeeded.

• What competencies did you notice that the entrepreneur exhibited?

I think Steve Jobs excelled at creativity and innovation.  He even manipulated the press on his products through careful planning.  This goes hand in hand with his penchant for recognizing talent.  An example would be investing in design and aesthetics in the case of Jony Ive.  Jobs saw opportunity in the personal computing space and Pixar as well, making him very wealthy.  

• Identify at least one part of the reading that was confusing to you. 

I wouldn’t say confusing, but intriguing how Jobs had the ‘reality distortion field’.  Bending reality to your will to make things happen sounds like a foreign and crazy concept.  Yet, Jobs actually found a way to pull it off, eventually inventing an entire never before captured market.  

• If you were able to ask two questions to the entrepreneur, what would you ask? Why? 

I would ask how he was able to consistently overcome challenges in his life. Jobs exemplified perseverance and didn’t listen to negativity, even going so far as to believe he could shape his own reality. I would also ask if he foresaw his own success.  With his philosophy of the ‘reality distortion field’, did he see himself achieving as much as he did?

·        For fun: what do you think the entrepreneur's opinion was of hard work? Do you share that opinion? 

      Steve Jobs’s opinion of hard work can be easily seen in his worldview of the ‘reality distortion field’. Hard work was the only way that Jobs could’ve risen from his humble roots to become an American tech tycoon and businessman.  Steve Jobs created his own opportunities through constant hard work done to absolute perfection.  I agree with him on this, hard work is definitely the path to success.