4 thoughts on “Could a Young Steve Jobs Get Hired…”

  1. I wouldn’t think with his personality – or lack of his ability to get along with people. But then co-founder Steve Wozniak tried to get HP interested in making a PC and couldn’t – went on to found Apple with Jobs.

    There’s a funny story of the 2 of them, trying to build the first Apple, and offering the owner of an electronics store shares in their new company if only he would give them some needed parts.

    He wisely refused.

  3. Every successful enterprise is founded by a charismatic leader who is driven by vision and ego. Often the charismatic leader gets rid of anyone who could ever rival him. When the enterprise becomes successful it is run by team players who are more adept at the arts of bureaucracy and political infighting. If the organization is around long enough it will be run by bean counters and yes men. Then it will go under.

  4. I think Tim Cook has drunk a little too much of the New Age Kool-Aid. IMO & experience, people who successfully drive important innovations to reality in large organizations definitely have political awareness and political skills…choosing to use these skills for useful purposes, rather than entirely for self-promotion, does not mean that they are “non-political.” And yeah, they do care about getting credit, both for their team and for themselves.

    Probably what Tim is *trying* to do is to exclude jerky self-promoters who don’t care about anything except getting ahead personally, regardless of malign effects on other people and on the enterprise. But if he’s not careful, what he’s going to do is to create an environment best suited to beta-ized “organization men” of the 1950s stereotype.

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