Reading Reflection No. 1 -- 13A

The book I chose to read and reflect on was Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. Isaacson's biographical novel on Jobs was built upon over 40 interviews with Jobs over the last few years of his life. This gave Isaacson ample material to write the biography. While I know of Steve Jobs generally in terms of his role in the domination of Apple and it's rise in the technological world, I did not know much about his life and experiences prior to reading this novel.

One thing, of many, that I found interesting was how quickly the very first Apple product became profitable. Jobs and Steve Wozniak's first foray into Apple technology was the instant success because they used their entrepreneurial instincts to seek out a gap in the consumer market and create a product that birthed the modern computer. While I see the opportunity for obvious success of the Apple I computer at that time, I am not as surprised at the profitability but at the fact that on the very first venture of Apple, it was a success, considering most entrepreneurs have to try, try, try again to identify a market and problem, perfect an idea and actually make a profit.

I think the thing I most admired about Jobs throughout the book is his drive and ambition to keep creating and updating, constantly wanting all Apple products to be the absolute best in the field, no matter what it took.

By contrast, I least admired the accounts of how Jobs treated employees as described in the book. For  example, he frequently berated employees who presented ideas writing them off as bad ideas only to later present them as his own, taking credit and further deepening the apparent disconnect in my opinion between Jobs and his employees.

Steve Jobs definitely faced adversity and failure during his career, even though he also earned massive success. I think one of his earliest obstacles he needed to overcome was when he realized he no longer was benefitting or wanting to attend college in efforts to earn a degree. Thus, he dropped out and was challenged to use his ambitious and aggressive attitude toward life to kickstart something to earn him money and self-fulfilment. In addition, the massive company he founded essentially kicked him out of the company, until he later rejoined after rocky relationships with Apple, pulling the company out of its indisputable downward spiral at that time, and kickstarting it again into the empire that it is today.

I think one of Jobs' greatest competencies was his ambitious spirit and go-getter drive to achieve a perfect product. It could be his greatest asset at times, but also a deterrent, however in the end it helped him build the enormity of what we know as Apple today. This is introduced in the novel as the 'reality distortion field' a term coined by Bud Tribble, and means that Jobs with his spirit and driven nature could convince almost anyone of anything, especially regarding the quality Apple products. He also was a mastermind in knowing a good opportunity when he sees one, able to recognize ideas, open gaps in a market, and target niches, taking these ideas with a lot of potential and the having the ability to bring them to fruition. All of these are key aspects to being a powerhouse entrepreneur, which he was to his very core.

One part of the reading that was confusing to me and a bit hard to follow was the back and forth of Jobs' history with Apple, from founding it, to getting kicked out of the company, to working on other projects outside of Apple when he hadn't quite left it yet, to being brought back when the company was failing. In all, it is just a bit confusing because from the outside, Jobs has always appeared as the face of Apple but there were times when he wasn't even involved with the company at all, which in interesting.

If I could ask Steve Jobs any two questions I would ask:
1. Looking back at your life, would you want to go back and change anything, do something over or take back a certain decision?
2. What do you think contributed most to your success?

I think Jobs' opinion on hard work is that it is worth it in the long run, and it will drive you to accomplish great things. Jobs' also probably saw it as a necessary and crucial component to the success he achieved throughout his life. I agree with this wholeheartedly, as I was constantly raised and reminded to view hard work as an essential skill of life. In addition, I agree that it will motivate you to reach your goals as the hard work you put in is going to yield the results you desire.