13. Jobs

1. I had watched several movies about Steve Jobs in the past, but the level of detail this was able to portray was incredible.  To hear from the sources who worked with him how hard he was to deal with was something that was astounding.  What I most appreciated was the fact that it did not follow the route of most biographies.  Most just praise the person they write about and place them on a pedestal, this, however, was incredibly humanizing.  To see Jobs' mood swings and intense display of emotion was unexpected, but definitely painted the whole picture.  You could tell there was a huge level of passion surrounding the company.  That is what I appreciated most.  I admire Steve Jobs' level of free will because I tend to find myself too uptight and need to loosen up, something that he was a master of.  I did not appreciate how he treated people.  I think that is why karma got him when he was ousted from the company.  Where Woz was too friendly, Jobs was way too willing to betray those who had been behind him since the beginning.  Jobs was always fighting against adversity, but I think that a lot of it stemmed from his personality and how he dealt with intense situations.  I do have to praise him for retaking the company he was removed from.

2. Steve Jobs was great at charming everyone around him.  This was probably his best skill.  His ability to persist and not take no for an answer is something that I can really respect.  It is something that I need to get better at because people are looking for people with that drive.  It may seem like like it is too pushy, but I think it is a great skill to develop.

3. This is not really a confusing part of the novel, but something that is more of a personal point to Jobs.  I did not understand why Steve Jobs would name the first computer Lisa, but deny that she was his daughter.  This was something that maybe showed regret from Jobs from ignoring her.  I can understand that he was so upset when he was removed from the project because here were two children of his that he was not a part of their life.

4. If you could start over, how would you plan out Apple, develop it differently, and run the company?
Do you think that you placed enough emphasis on your personal life or did your business life take control?
I think that these questions are important because it deals with both his business and personal life.  A balance between the two is important and something that is not considered with entrepreneurs.  You always hear about the product that they are pushing, but not really about their personal development which is just as important.

5. I do not think that Jobs ever looked at what he did as work.  He found something that he was passionate about and wanted to make a change in the world.  This is a trait that I find incredible because that is when you know you are doing the right thing.  You can show up every day for years and push yourself for success rather than profit.  That is something that I would love to live by and strive to be.