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Biographies
I read Steve Jobs’s biography 10 times in the last 10 years.
Here’s what I learned about startups, product, design, marketing, creativity, web3, career, life, and whatnot…
🔥🧵👇
Here’s what I learned about startups, product, design, marketing, creativity, web3, career, life, and whatnot…
🔥🧵👇
1. The best way to predict the future is to invent it.
Conventional wisdom: Give the customers what they want.
Jobs: “People don’t know what they want…your job is to figure out what they’re going to want before they do.”
Conventional wisdom: Give the customers what they want.
Jobs: “People don’t know what they want…your job is to figure out what they’re going to want before they do.”
On the day he unveiled the Macintosh, a reporter asked Jobs what type of market research he had done.
Jobs replied,
“Did Alexander Graham Bell do any market research before he invented the telephone?”
Jobs replied,
“Did Alexander Graham Bell do any market research before he invented the telephone?”
2. Build the product that you would want to use…
and are passionate about.
Apple revolutionised the music industry with the iPod.
Bono once described it as “the most beautiful art object in music culture since the electric guitar.”
But what made it so special?
and are passionate about.
Apple revolutionised the music industry with the iPod.
Bono once described it as “the most beautiful art object in music culture since the electric guitar.”
But what made it so special?
Here’s what: Jobs loved music.
And he truly hated the existing music players on the market.
In fact when the iPod was only in development the team already knew it would sell.
How?
They could see how badly they all wanted one for themselves.
And he truly hated the existing music players on the market.
In fact when the iPod was only in development the team already knew it would sell.
How?
They could see how badly they all wanted one for themselves.
3. Innovate or die.
Cell phone cameras killed the digital camera market.
Jobs knew that once phone manufacturers started to build music players into them it would kill the iPod.
With the introduction of the iPhone, Jobs did it himself.
Cell phone cameras killed the digital camera market.
Jobs knew that once phone manufacturers started to build music players into them it would kill the iPod.
With the introduction of the iPhone, Jobs did it himself.
According to Jobs,
Cannibalise yourself or —otherwise — someone else will.
Jobs would do this many times in his career.
So even though an iPhone might cannibalise the sales of an iPod, or an iPad might hurt the sales of a MacBook, that did not deter him.
Cannibalise yourself or —otherwise — someone else will.
Jobs would do this many times in his career.
So even though an iPhone might cannibalise the sales of an iPod, or an iPad might hurt the sales of a MacBook, that did not deter him.
4. Good ideas need good — or even greater — execution.
In 1979, Xerox made some inventions that would become the future of computing.
But they failed with execution.
Apple took those same ideas — made major improvements — and created a revolution.
In 1979, Xerox made some inventions that would become the future of computing.
But they failed with execution.
Apple took those same ideas — made major improvements — and created a revolution.
5. Focus.
When Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, Apple was drowning in a pool of shit products.
Once Jobs got tired of slashing away most products he came up with the simple chart below.
Their new goal was to come up with just four great products, one for each quadrant.
When Jobs returned to Apple in 1997, Apple was drowning in a pool of shit products.
Once Jobs got tired of slashing away most products he came up with the simple chart below.
Their new goal was to come up with just four great products, one for each quadrant.
Here’s what Jobs truly believed:
“Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do…Innovation is saying 'no' to 1,000 things.”
“Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do…Innovation is saying 'no' to 1,000 things.”
6. Eliminate the non essentials.
Jobs applied a rigid UI test while building the iPod:
If he wanted a song or any function, he should be able to get there in just 3 clicks.
His main demand:
“Simplify.”
Jobs applied a rigid UI test while building the iPod:
If he wanted a song or any function, he should be able to get there in just 3 clicks.
His main demand:
“Simplify.”
7. Perfection is doing the greatest thing possible.
Some of Jobs’s favourite maxims were:
(1) Don’t compromise.
(2) It’s better to miss than to turn out the wrong thing.
He made sure that even the hidden aspects of a product — like the circuit board — are done beautifully.
Some of Jobs’s favourite maxims were:
(1) Don’t compromise.
(2) It’s better to miss than to turn out the wrong thing.
He made sure that even the hidden aspects of a product — like the circuit board — are done beautifully.
8. Your sales pitch should sound like common sense.
Jobs created the iTunes store to sell music.
His competition? The many piracy services — which essentially meant free stuff.
So how do you fight with free?
Jobs created the iTunes store to sell music.
His competition? The many piracy services — which essentially meant free stuff.
So how do you fight with free?
Here’s his pitch to justify the 99 cents price tag for a song:
A pirated song took about 15 minutes to download vs. a minute on iTunes.
So if you’re spending an hour to save 4 dollars you’re working under the minimum wage.
Also, buying >> stealing.
Tl;dr: Don’t sell, solve.
A pirated song took about 15 minutes to download vs. a minute on iTunes.
So if you’re spending an hour to save 4 dollars you’re working under the minimum wage.
Also, buying >> stealing.
Tl;dr: Don’t sell, solve.
9. Hiring is convincing people to work on a greater mission.
For building the Mac team Jobs’s role model was J. Robert Oppenheimer and the type of people he sought for the atom bomb project.
Jobs was always on a giant mission and he could convince almost anyone to join him.
For building the Mac team Jobs’s role model was J. Robert Oppenheimer and the type of people he sought for the atom bomb project.
Jobs was always on a giant mission and he could convince almost anyone to join him.
Before his interview with Steve Jobs, Tim Cook had taken a job at Compaq — which seemed a safer career option to him.
But here’s what happened:
“Five minutes into my interview with Steve, I wanted to throw caution and logic to the wind and join Apple.”
But here’s what happened:
“Five minutes into my interview with Steve, I wanted to throw caution and logic to the wind and join Apple.”
10. Your time is limited.
“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose…
We all have a short period of time on this earth. We probably only have the opportunity to do a few things really great and do them well.”
“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose…
We all have a short period of time on this earth. We probably only have the opportunity to do a few things really great and do them well.”
And that’s it…thank you for reading! You can also retweet and follow me… and I’ll catch you in the next one.
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