Assignment 13A: Reading Reflection No.1

I read the Steve Jobs biography by Walter Isaacson.

1.  There were countless stories and experiences as well as personal traits and career decisions in Steve Job's life that surprised me and I had no idea about.  But what surprised me the most was how he was able to transform his life from the very rough beginning he had, including being given up for adoption, dropping out of college, being very poor and struggling to get by in his 20's, and eventually even getting kicked out of his own company in 1985, to becoming CEO of one of the richest and most profitable companies ever.  It is a testament to just how brilliant he was and how hard he worked to overcome the adversity in his life.  I strongly admired his work ethic and confidence. Even though he had a small beginning, he never doubted his worth, and throughout his poor college experience, always knew he was smart and would be successful. He was smart enough to understand that computer technology was the business of the future and enrolled himself in technology classes in high school and partnered himself with the right people, like Steve Wozniak, to achieve his goals. What I least admired about Jobs was his treatment of others, specifically ones he managed and felt were below him. He acted as a very authoritarian  leader and would often yell and scream at employees. Early on in his partnership with Steve Wozniak, they struck a deal with Atari for $5,000 and were supposed to split the money 50/50, yet Jobs told Wozniak that they made far less than that and so Jobs ended up taking home over $4600. Jobs was also non charitable and offered very little to philanthropic efforts. He was someone that was completely focused on himself and his goals.

2. Above everything else, Steve Jobs was most competent, and often brilliant in his innovative designs and decision making.  The Ipod's signature design along with its innovative scroll wheel were created by Jobs, he knew what would work and what would sell. Jobs used his experiences in his life to help him design and craft these products too, including taking inspiration from a calligraphy class he audited in college to shape the design of the Ipod. Jobs also knew that computer technology and software was the business to get into and he ended up revolutionizing the industry as we know it. Finally, partnering with Wozniak was a genius move because he was everything Jobs was not, a genius in the building and crafting of the product. Together with Jobs's innovative ideas and Wozniak's technological skill, they were able to co found one of the most successful businesses ever together.

3.  What confused me most in the reading was why Jobs elected to neglect his doctor's ruling to take immediate action and have surgery once he was diagnosed with Pancreatic cancer and instead try his own treatment of a change of diet and psychic evaluation. This decision could partly be attributed to the 7 months he spent in India studying Zen Buddhism and maybe this was a factor in his decision. But I would think that a man as brilliant as Jobs would understand to trust a doctor over his own non proven ways of treating cancer. This decision to wait until months later to have surgery is one of the reasons why Jobs died at the age he did.

4.   My first question would be: Did you always know that you were going to be successful? I am curious because as a college dropout that struggled to get by, I can imagine it is discouraging and hard to see a path to success, especially early on in his business where they were not making much money.
      My second question would be: What gave you the idea for the designs and innovation you put into Apple's products? It is truly remarkable how Jobs was able to have these visions of attributes to his product designs that would not only work and be practical, but be something that others had never thought of before.

5. Yes I share Jobs's opinion of hard work. Being brilliant and innovative is nothing without working hard to achieve your goals. Jobs was also adamant about doing work that you loved, and that you would work harder if you were working on something that you were passionate about. I also share that belief and hope to find an area of specialization in the business field that I am passionate about and pursue my goals.